Blue Ice
by Ocean
Summary: YY Falling in love with someone is easy. Loving them is the difficult part, for your love not only affects you, but those around you as well. When forced to make a choice, what will they choose? And furthermore, will you care?Complete
1. Frost

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Disclaimer: Plain and simple. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh

A/N: Howdy all. Thanks for stopping by and taking a look at this story! It's been in my head for awhile, and I think it can be fun. This is my attempt at a one shot, and for those who know me that does not necessarily mean short. In fact, I think I can guarantee that. If I keep it down to 20 pages... let's just say even I will be surprised.

Sprite-y goodness – Yaoi in a bottle. Courtesy of Banjodog

Oh yeah, have to warn people that this is yaoi between Yuugi and Yami.

Let's see. Stuff you should know. This takes place after Battle City, though there is no reference to it, so Yami has saved the world. Yuugi speaking to Yami: /Howdy/ Yami speaking to Yuugi: //Howdy//. And remember, many businesses keep their lights on at night in an attempt to deter robbers. I think that's it. Enjoy!

Blue Ice

**__**

By Ocean

Chapter One: Frost

Loud.

If Yuugi could choose only one word to describe this place, it would be 'loud.'

He sighed softly as he followed his friends down the crowded walkway, attempting to dodge the seemingly endless stream of traffic that flowed relentlessly against him. People were everywhere: pushing, prodding, running, walking, shouting, hugging, kissing, bartering. Every aspect of human personality was represented within the throngs of patrons that walked amongst the great confines of the mall.

It wasn't that Yuugi didn't like people, though he did shoot a nasty glare at the latest person to slam into him without an apology. Many considered him to be the epitome of human kindness – the striving achievement of all that was good. No one seemed to understand how difficult it was to carry that title. The weight that pulled on his being was almost unbearable. He surely would have crumbled long ago had it not been for the loving support of his friends and family.

And his yami.

Yuugi was finally able to breathe once he and his yami had been united. The unyielding strength and support the older spirit imparted on Yuugi had saved the young man from his destructive downward spiral. Yuugi had never considered physically harming himself, but he had become an expert in psychological damage. The pressure he placed upon himself to fulfill the image forced upon him had trapped Yuugi within the boundaries of his own mind.

If Yami hadn't been willing to reach into the depths of Yuugi's sanity and forcefully pull him from his self-construed prison... Yuugi shuddered to think what would have happened to him. The act was akin to being reborn; birthed from the dark and suffocating vortex he had unwittingly plunged himself into and being thrust into the light where everyone thought he belonged.

Yami's attitude toward the situation had been a breath of fresh air, a spring breeze that blew past Yuugi to banish the encroaching winter. A blunt "Damn the others and do what is good for yourself" was a shocking concept to Yuugi. Up until that point he had always been told to 'do unto others' and 'think about your actions' and 'what will others think?' or 'how will the others feel?' He had never been encouraged to think of himself.

"Hey Yug, wanna grab a soda?"

"Sure Jou," Yuugi replied quietly, though it was doubtful his answer was heard over the cacophony. Instead he smiled and nodded his head, receiving an enthusiastic grin from his friend. Yuugi's smile instantly faded as Jou turned his back to collect the opinions of the others in the group. A unanimous decision was reached and the small gathering of friends turned to forge their way to the food court.

Yuugi numbly followed his leader as Jou deftly maneuvered his way through the crowd of shoppers. The blonde slid and glided between benches and children and tables and chairs, skidding to a stop in front of the nearest food stand. Mai and Honda rolled their eyes, only slightly amused that their nineteen-year-old friend could become so excited over a coke.

Yuugi remained separate from the group, staying behind to commandeer one of the many tables of the food court. Bypassing several tables for various reasons – there was a very suspicious substance on the surface of one that he gave a wide berth to – Yuugi finally settled for a table hidden within the jungle of people that had suspended their shopping for a refueling session. Gathering enough chairs to seat his group Yuugi patiently waited for his friends to join him.

This scene was becoming more and more common. Yuugi's friends had grown accustomed to his shy and timid nature, nurturing his character into a mold that fit their ideal of what he should be. The act was not intentionally cruel, nor was it even realized. It was a simple grasp at the innocence and purity that everyone longs for but can rarely find within themselves. Yuugi possessed this lightness, and his friends had been desperate to keep the light in their lives. In doing so, they had prevented Yuugi from growing; justifying their actions by saying Yuugi was too innocent or naive to handle the stresses of the real world.

They had nearly destroyed the very object they had sought to protect.

Yami had put a stop to that almost immediately. His intimidating presence limited the amount of time Yuugi's friends spent with him, insuring that the only opinion Yuugi heard was that of the Pharaoh. Not even Sugoroku's voice held much weight against the Pharaoh's, and a strong voice the Pharaoh had. Calm, deep, commanding, demanding, absolute, confident... always so confident. Especially when it came to Yuugi.

Yuugi gazed softly at the small ring that wrapped itself around his pale finger, twisting it slowly as he fell deeper into his thoughts. A simple piece of metal, held in the blazing heat of an open flame until it was ready to yield to the gentle pressure of a magician's touch. The silver finish glistened brilliantly even in the obscure lighting of the mall.

A small smile touched Yuugi's lips as he remembered the day Yami had presented him with the ring. The gesture had been brief, the action simple and without words. Yuugi had been feeling particularly withdrawn that day and Yami had instantly noticed the change in his soul partner's aura.

"Hikari?" he had whispered, one of the few words that Yami ever spoke aloud. He much preferred the intimacy of communicating directly with Yuugi's mind. There was no possibility of confusion or misinterpretation when one spoke directly to the mind. No chance of lying. Just truth. The foundation of Yami's existence.

Yuugi had only grunted in response, bypassing his Yami and throwing himself unceremoniously on the couch. He wasn't in the mood to explain, didn't have the energy to assure Yami he was okay when he was unable to convince himself. He was feeling unwanted, unappreciated, and incredibly sour towards the world. Even the normally soothing presence of his benevolent Pharaoh could not calm his soul.

Yami glided over to his aibou with the grace of a feline and knelt in front of his soul partner. His brows furrowed as Yuugi refused to meet his gaze, the agitation peeling from him in tangible layers. Yami focused his attention on Yuugi in an attempt to discern the source of his troubles. A stray, unprotected thought filtered into his mind. Yami blinked, bowing his head in understanding.

Yes, it was a feeling he himself had been forced to deal with on numerous occasions.

Opening his eyes, Yami raised his hand and placed it above Yuugi's lap, his palm facing upwards. He hadn't expected the action to capture his aibou's attention and Yuugi did not disappoint. Clearing his mind, Yami focused his being on the center of his palm.

For several moments the room was still, Yuugi glaring daggers at the floor and Yami intently staring at his hand. Slowly, twin tendrils of blue and purple smoke rose from the skin of Yami's palm. Enticingly they began to twine around each other in an intricate dance of life and pulse. This movement drew Yuugi's gaze, for a moment helping him to forget the troubles that plagued his mind.

Curiosity began to well itself within him as Yuugi watched the smoke dance along Yami's palm in erratic yet flawless movements. They seemed to have no order, no meaning, and yet they clearly held a purpose or Yami would not have summoned them. Yami's brow furrowed as he concentrated on his magic, his lips pulling into a small frown as he began to fell the strain of wielding the black magic.

With a sharp command the smoke suddenly centered on Yami's palm, the speed of its rhythm steadily increasing as though it were caught in a viscous cyclone. The resulting circle began to diminish in size, the center hollowing out to create the shadow of a ring. A final, small flash of emerald burned the remaining shadows away, revealing a perfectly crafted silver ring in their wake.

Taking a deep breath to free his mind from the intense concentration it had endured, Yami picked up the small ring in his long and nimble fingers. The surface was unmarred, the lustrous ability of the silver being allowed to shine with all its brilliance. It had been difficult for Yami to craft; the precision of the magic involved tiring him greatly. He lifted his crimson eyes to Yuugi, the fatigue softening his usually piercing gaze.

Yuugi's lips parted slightly at the endearing expression he recieved from his yami. It was a look that no one save himself ever saw, and every time the emotion behind it stole his breath away. He looked at Yami, slight confusion adorning his gentle features.

Yami reached out and gently took hold of Yuugi's left hand, brushing his thumb along its back before separating Yuugi's middle finger from the others. He slowly slid the ring down the length of the finger, the cold metallic surface causing shivers to run along Yuugi's skin. Once the ring was in place, Yami cupped Yuugi's hand in his, bringing the back of his fingers to his lips.

// Biaw.//

And with that single thought he had stood and left the room, leaving a grinning Yuugi in his absence.

Yuugi grinned now as the memory resurfaced in his mind. Yami had realized Yuugi's feeling of worthlessness, the sense that nobody wanted him around. With the ring Yami had announced to the world that indeed Yuugi was needed, wanted. And he belonged to another.

His friends had seen the action as a threat, a proclamation of ownership that bordered on the obsessive. Yuugi had to agree, but there was a major difference between his reaction to the gesture and that of his friends.

Yuugi didn't mind the thought of being owned by Yami. In fact, he embraced it.

The change in Yuugi had followed shortly after, his confidence solidifying as he realized his faith in himself restored. A stronger, more determined Yuugi had been able to cast aside the oppressive shell he had been placed in and emerge into the light. His friends didn't like the change at all, their precious commodity having been stolen directly from them.

Yuugi was shaken from his memories as his friends sat at the table, their noisy chatter shattering the silent reverie he had placed himself in. He smiled as Jou and Honda fought over whom got to sit in the chair closest to the ice cream cart, Jou surrendering after Honda placed him in a friendly but meaningful headlock.

Mai rolled her eyes and scooted her chair closer to Yuugi and away from the children. "How you doing, Hun?" she asked quietly as she sipped her diet soda.

"I'm okay. Just thinking." Yuugi had grown fond of Mai throughout the years. Her harsh exterior had slowly melted away after Yuugi and his friends' persistent acts of kindness to reveal a kind and exceptionally intelligent woman. Though those whom she did not consider a threat only saw this Mai. She was still the toughest one in town.

"Ah, youz dinks too much," Jou remarked as he flopped into his seat next to Yuugi. "Youz gonna hurt your brain if ya keep tha' up."

"So I should just live my life by the seat of my pants and hope everything works out?" Yuugi countered.

"Always works fur me!" Knowing looks were exchanged around the table. "What!?"

After sharing a moment of laughter at Jou's expense the conversation lulled into quiet and amiable talk. Who had seen the latest movie, the rumor going around about that guy who did that thing sometime awhile ago, the newest Duel Monsters tournament, how thankful everyone was that Seto was on a business trip in London. Conversation among this group rarely stemmed into the insightful. One-on-one secretes were shared and actions analyzed, but when together talk never branched beyond the superficial hype.

Mai contributed sparingly to the conversation, her violet eyes keeping watch over the unusually demure Yuugi. He spoke only when directly prompted to do so, offering a small smile of apology and addressing the issue at hand. Mai noticed the constant movement of his hands, his fingers rubbing and twisting the smooth surface of the ring on his finger.

Personally she didn't see the problem with the jewelry. What was the big deal? So Yami had given Yuugi a present when he was feeling down in the dumps. What possible relevance that held over the rest of them she couldn't tell. She had to admit, though, the Pharaoh had a fine taste in jewelry. Mai reached out her hand slowly, meaning only to turn Yuugi's hand so she could better see the ring.

Yuugi jumped at the contact, pulling his hand protectively against his chest as he glared at Mai. The action summoned the attention of Honda and Jou, suspending their argument over which flavor of ice cream best went with pistachio.

"Sorry," Mai hesitantly apologized. Her forehead crinkled as she watched Yuugi's defensive posture. He had yet to relax from his recoiled position as his suspicious eyes bore into her own.

"Geeze, Yug," Jou sighed. "Ligh'en' up, will ya? No one's gonna take yer precious ring." The reprimand in the tone was evident to everyone at the table.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Yuugi demanded, slowly settling back into his chair.

Jou straightened himself, preparing for the inevitable confrontation. "Alrigh' Yuugi. Youz wanna hear it straigh' out?" Yuugi curtly nodded. "Fine den. I'm getten tired of yours worship of tha' conceited bastard. He's dark, he's violen', doesn' give a shit 'bout anyone bu' himself. An' frankly I dun dink youz should hang 'round him no more. The world's been saved. We no longer need'im."

Yuugi's eyes hardened, their color deepening as the emotion within him boiled. He lowered his eyes to the table, nodding once before pushing his chair back so he could stand. "You're blind," he said, his eyes still focused in front of him. "All you see is the surface. It's all you want to see because to look any further might mean finding that you are wrong."

"You're wrong, Yug. You're lookin' for sumthin' tha' ain' there." Jou flinched at the icy glare Yuugi shot his way. He had never seen his friend so angry. Yuugi's body was stiff, rigid. His friend had never appeared as imposing as he did at that moment.

"You know nothing," Yuugi seethed, trying to keep his anger in check. "You know nothing about him. He cares about me. More than anyone I have ever met. He's the reason I am as strong as I am today. If it weren't for him, I would still be that pathetic coward I was when we first met. You're wrong, Jou. He is needed. I need him."

"So where is he?"

Yuugi set his jaw at Jou's question. This was a topic he had not wanted to discuss. He wanted to wrap it up in a box and throw it in a safe and forget the combination. He was confused and frustrated and scared.

Yami had begun to disappear late at night, not returning until the early hours of the morning. He always ensured that the connection between him and Yuugi was strong so he could maintain his constant vigil over his aibou. However, he also ensured that Yuugi couldn't discern where he was going, or why he had suddenly decided to venture out into a world that until this point held little interest for him.

Yuugi had never inquired about Yami's late night endeavors. His thoughts had brushed across Yami's mind on occasion, searching for a stray thought that would alert him to the workings of his aibou's mind. But his endeavors had never been forthcoming, Yami having three millennia's of practice in guarding his thoughts from the encroaching shadows that threatened to steal his sanity.

Yuugi searched through their link now, a sudden urgency to see the Pharaoh grabbing at his heart. He felt lightheaded and a little dizzy. He shouldn't be letting Jou's words affect him so. Yuugi had long been aware of his friend's disapproval of Yami, and he had made the decision long ago. If he was ever forced to chose...

Yuugi's friends were important to him. Yami was him. How does one chose against themselves? Further more, why would one want to?

Yuugi turned and walked away from the table, leaving his friends to analyze his actions to their hearts content. He didn't care anymore. Jou of all people should have been happy for him, should have known how important it was that he had found his inner strength and self-respect. Instead he sneered and ridiculed, unwilling to accept that his best friend had finally grown into the man he was destined to become.

He had grown into an independent and confident individual. One who no longer relied on his best friend for protection and guidance. One who had found a confidant in an ancient puzzle and the soul of a Pharaoh.

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It certainly was cold down here; the air being chilled as it danced tenderly over the large patch of ice. A sharp metallic blade cut through the solid surface, melting into the ice and leaving a track in its wake. The skate attached to the blade continued forward, the small child stumbling along beside her mother.

The ice rink was a new addition to the mall; the old bowling alley having been urgently replaced after a fire gutted the area. It had come as quite a surprise to the city when its inhabitants rallied around the idea. But since its completion revenue had doubled and the citizens of Domino City finally had their own slice of winter indoors.

Glass doors swung open on newly oiled hinges as Yuugi entered the large enclosure that housed the skating rink. He made his way over to the edge of the ice, idly leaning against the wall that established the rink's border. He watched his breath as it crystallized in front of him, the cold air that wafted from the ice having no where else to go and so coalesced around the warm bodies within the compound.

There was hardly an inch of free space on the ice as a blur of color skated by the motionless Yuugi. The scarves and hats and mittens that adorned little bodies sliding along the ice represented every shade of the color spectrum. If seen from above Yuugi was certain that the rink would look like a tie-dye gone horribly wrong.

At one end of the rink a class was being taught, a group of young children five or six years old watching with admiration the graceful movements of their instructor. The rest of the rink was free to any who sought refuge on its surface. A lone skater sped by Yuugi, followed by a group of friends, another lone skater, then a couple.

Yuugi sighed as he watched the couple pass, hand in hand as the woman laid her head on her boyfriend's shoulder. Contentment shone from both their eyes as they skated, oblivious to the mass of people that ebbed around them. He envied them, being able to be with the one they loved. No fear of rejection or ridicule, uncaring of what others thought of their relationship. They were free to just be happy with each other.

He lowered his head, turning his eyes from the throng of cheerful people that unknowingly mocked him as they continued with their lives. He wasn't sure when it had happened, or when they had realized it, but Yuugi and Yami had fallen hopelessly in love with each other. They both knew it, they both accepted it, but neither had admitted the fact to the other. The soft touches, gentle caresses, tender gazes... it was obvious to anyone who saw them together their feelings for one another.

And for a long time that had been enough for Yuugi. To know that he was loved, that someone cared for him in that special way that made his skin tingle and his heart skip a beat whenever they were in the same room together. But as time went on Yuugi began to slip. He found himself needing Yami's touches, needing to feel the gentle brush of the spirit's mind in his own. He _needed_ to be close to what had become the embodiment of all his hopes and dreams and heart and breath.

Yuugi was finding it hard to breathe again.

A gentle warmth nudged itself along the side of Yuugi's face. Someone had come and stood in front of him, leaning down so that they were standing cheek to cheek. Yuugi would have been startled if not for the gentle caress that flowed through his mind.

//Waiting for anybody in particular?//

Yuugi chuckled, nuzzling his head against the older spirit's who returned the affectionate gesture. He breathed in the clean, musky scent of his yami, allowing his senses to submerge themselves in the comforting fragrance. /Not anymore./

With a final nudge Yami pulled away from Yuugi and stood at his full height. Yuugi turned his eyes to look at him, happiness radiating through their link. Raising an eyebrow in surprise, Yuugi allowed his eyes to trail down Yami's form as they came to rest on his feet. The spirit wore a tight fitting black tee with orange and yellow flames erupting from its hem. Yuugi didn't recognize the shirt, though he did appreciate the way the material clung to Yami's body. He was most surprised, however, to see ice-skates on the Pharaoh's feet.

Looking back at Yami, Yuugi let the question filter through their link. Yami allowed the question to linger, not prepared to answer his aibou's query. Yuugi sighed as he regarded Yami's cool exterior, knowing that no amount of prodding could make Yami answer a question he did not wish to answer.

"Hey buddy! Stop staring at your boyfriend and move it!"

Yuugi's head snapped over to the skater standing beside Yami, his agitation quite evident as the Pharaoh blocked his path. Yami didn't acknowledge him, keeping his ever-watchful gaze on Yuugi. Now that he was distracted Yami could detect the unease within his soul partner even though the emotion was buried deep within his mind. A slight frown creased his face.

"What are you staring at runt?" the skater directed at Yuugi, raising his fist in what he deemed to be a threatening manner. "Fuck off." A low, menacing growl brought his attention back to Yami, who was glaring at him from the corner of his eye. Though he hadn't moved, Yami had suddenly become a far more imposing force then he had been a moment before.

Thinking it best not to intimidate him any further, the skater hurriedly maneuvered around Yami and quickly made his way to the other end of the rink.

/In a good mood today, Yami?/ Yuugi asked as he smirked. Yami lightly snorted at his aibou's amusement. It was not that uncommon of an occurrence for him not to kill those who threatened his hikari. True, he had killed others for less, but this skater simply wasn't worth the simple effort it would have required. They probably would have closed the rink if he had killed the bastard anyway.

//What is it that troubles you my hikari?//

Yuugi's smirk faded as he lowered his head. He was hoping Yami wouldn't notice his trepidation, though he knew nothing escaped the spirit's perceptive observation when it came to his welfare. He would have much rather discussed why Yami was at the ice skating rink. Yami and skating just didn't mesh in his mind.

Yuugi tapped his foot lightly against the wall that encircled the rink. "I don't know. I just... didn't feel like being around the others anymore." He didn't want to tell Yami that he had had yet another confrontation with Jou. The Pharaoh was already extremely annoyed with the man, and an annoyed Yami was a dangerous one. "Besides, I wanted to see you."

Yami's expression softened at Yuugi's tender words. He leaned forward and pushed his cheek against Yuugi's again. Nuzzling was Yami's favorite form of affection, the smoothness of Yuugi's skin and the silk that was his hair always supplying a loving comfort. Such closeness also allowed for him to feel the heat that always seemed to radiate from Yuugi. These encounters provided the rare opportunities were Yami would allow himself to shut out the world and focus only on his emotions and the wonderful treasure that was his hikari.

Yuugi closed his eyes and sighed contently as he leaned further into Yami. The tightness that had gripped his chest after his argument with Jou quickly dissipated as he burrowed his face into Yami's neck. This is what he had needed, what he had been looking for. Just him and Yami and quite and heat and gentleness and strength and breath and... and... The thoughts trailed away as Yuugi willingly allowed himself to become submerged in the presence of his other.

The soft sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted the quiet moment between the soul partners. Yuugi suppressed a groan as he felt Yami tense, the spirit equally irritated at being interrupted. Reluctantly Yuugi pulled his head from Yami and looked tiredly at the one who drew him from his comfort.

"Uh, hey Yug. Can... can I talks ta youz a moment?" Jou asked, his nervousness apparent as he shakily ran a hand through his hair. He wasn't sure what he was more afraid of; asking Yuugi for his forgiveness or the murderous glare he was receiving from an overprotective-slightly-homicidal pharaoh. Yuugi nodded his head but did not pull away from Yami. "Ah... alone?"

Yuugi sent a soothing word to his Yami, trying to calm the spirit who did not like the idea of his hikari and Jou alone together. Placing his hand on Yami's chest, Yuugi made sure he caught the Pharaoh's gaze before turning away and following Jou to the gaming room. Yami watched the pair depart before rejoining the current of skaters.

Jou came to rest against a lone pinball machine that marked the beginning of the gaming area. He stuffed his hands deep into his pockets in an attempt to hide the slight tremor that would signal his nervousness. He had followed Yuugi shortly after he had left the table, guilt eating at him for the harshness of his words. He didn't regret what he had said, but he could have handled the situation with a little more tact.

"I'm sorry 'bout earlier," Jou began. "I wasn' tryin' ta pick a fight wit youz or nuttin." He paused as he stole a glance at Yuugi, trying to judge his friend's reaction.

Yuugi kept his eyes adverted from Jou, his arms wrapped loosely around his waist. "No, you weren't," he agreed quietly. "You also weren't looking to avoid one either."

Jou flinched. "Heh, ya." This wasn't going as well as he had hoped. He hadn't expected Yuugi to be overly friendly towards him, but he thought that at the least Yuugi would try to meet him halfway.

"What is it you want, Jou?" Yuugi asked, finally meeting his friend's gaze.

Jou bristled at the question, his nervousness melting into agitation. "Look Yuugi, I'm tryin' 'ere, okay? We both said things we didn' mean-"

"No we didn't."

A pause as both friends regarded each other. "Fine den. We didn'. But tha' don' mean we gotta keep on arguin' like dis. You know I dun like him. I know you love him. Why don' we jus' leave it a' that?"

Yuugi closed his eyes as he sighed, considering Jou's proposition. It was an idealistic request born of a desire to avoid confrontation by ignoring the conflict. He turned his head back towards the rink, searching for an answer within the expanse of skaters. Now that he knew Yami was there, it was easy for him to spot the lavishly styled pharaoh. Yami's grace on land only seemed to heighten when transferred to the smooth surface of the ice, his long legs propelling his sleek body easily over the frozen water.

Yuugi turned back to Jou, conviction shining in his eyes. "No Jou, we can't leave it at that. It will always be here between us, and sooner or later we are going to fight again. It's inevitable. I only see two possible solutions here."

Another pause passed between them as they shared a knowing look. "Either I'm gonna have ta accep' dis or..." Jou let the thought fade, unable to bring himself to voice the other, undesirable, option.

"Yeah," Yuugi sighed. He wasn't exactly thrilled with the alternative either. But he had made his decision. "Let me know," he said quietly as he turned and walked slowly back to the rink. To Yami. To himself.

Jou watched him leave, sadness in his eyes as he pushed through the glass doors that enclosed the rink so he could return to his friends. He needed to think, and hard. What was more important to him? His moral view of Yami's actions and influence on Yuugi, or his friendship with his best friend? Yuugi had handed him an ultimatum on an intricately carved silver platter. The question was when he returned the platter, was it going to be full... or empty?

Yuugi resumed his position beside the rink, leaning over its edge so he could better observe his yami. The spirit's willowy movements awed him as he skated across the ice, the gentle flow of his arms weaving magics with their motions. His body gave every notion of its once corporeal lightness as he traveled over the white surface, looking as though the angelic light no darkness could ever hope to encounter supported his weight.

Yami shifted his eyes to his aibou, watching him from across the rink as he continued his routine. The emotion coming through their link was that of strained contentment, an odd mixture of anxiety and calm and hope and loss and affection and contemplation and quandary. He was a paradox of contradiction. Yami softly brushed Yuugi's mind, relaying his concern. The corners of Yuugi's lips twitched in a smile as he shook his head softly, his bangs falling in front of his tired crystalline eyes from the movement.

Yami immediately turned and skated over to his hikari, the flow of skaters parting before him as they would for any shark that sought to pass through. A slight heat made itself know on Yuugi's face as he watched his Yami glide towards him, his movements fluid and gaze piercing. The look was almost surreal, and Yuugi would have considered the view sensual if not for his weary mind and aching heart.

Yami skidded to a stop in front of Yuugi, embedding his skates into the ice, causing small shivers of frost to spray around his feet. He regarded Yuugi silently for a long moment, causing the teenager to eventually squirm under the heated gaze. Yuugi did not mind when his other watched him so carefully, but at the moment he did not feel up to the deep perusal of his soul.

Blinking his angular eyes, Yami approached Yuugi and leaned forward, snaking his arms around Yuugi's waist. Before Yuugi had a chance to revel in the comforting feel of his Yami's embrace he felt himself being lifted over the side of the rink and settled roughly on Yami's shoulder. He squeaked in both surprise and at the tight grip around his middle, a loud "Hey!" announcing his protest.

//Behave,// Yami commanded gently into Yuugi's mind, a mischievous smirk appearing on his lips.

"Yami!" Yuugi protested again amidst a fit of giggles as he felt the wiggle of Yami's fingers against his side. Yuugi continued to squirm as Yami began his trek to the opposite end of the rink were the skate rental and return booth stood. The duo recieved much attention as Yuugi made it as difficult as possible for Yami to skate with him on his shoulder, twisting and turning as he gripped onto the back of Yami's shirt. The smirk remained on Yami's lips, a glint in his eyes as he maneuvered as though unencumbered by his wriggling burden.

Yuugi finally relented and allowed himself to drape over Yami, his arms and legs falling limp. The more he struggled the more Yami tickled him, and he simply didn't have the energy to laugh anymore. His dejected mood had completely vanished as his Yami demonstrated that yes, indeed, he had a playful side, but only one the Yuugi was ever allowed to see.

/Are you taking me anywhere in particular, or are you just going to carry me around like a sack of potatoes all day?/ Yuugi asked through their link, considering his face was flush against Yami's back.

Yami quickly dug his skate into the ice and spun in place, the sudden motion jarring Yuugi and pulling forth a small "eep!" of surprise. Halting the spin as suddenly as he had begun it, Yami casually continued towards the end of the rink.

//Home.//

Yuugi crinkled his nose in exasperation. /Couldn't you have just told me that without all the theatrics?/ he grumbled. Immediately he braced his arms against Yami's back and lifted himself up to meet the red eye that peered over Yami's shoulder.

"Uh... never mind," Yuugi mumbled. Yami's smirked deepened as he continued on his way.

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Translation:

Biaw - 'Mine' in Ancient Egyptian


	2. Combustion

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Disclaimer: Plain and simple. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh

A/N: Hello. Okay, for those of you who have read this story already, this is scenes three and four from the original chapter. Chapters three and four will be new material for you when I get them up. I decided to chapter the story because I think I was scaring people away with the length of it. I'm just experimenting here.

I'll have chapters three and four out soon, hopefully. There will be a lemon in one of those chapters. Not sure which yet. Anyway, I shall leave you to your reading.

Blue Ice

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By Ocean

Chapter Two: Combustion

It really was a remarkable invention of civilization. The ability for merchants to combine their variety of goods provided a market that allowed for easy accessibility for the people and an increase in commercialization for the dealers involved. The surplus of food eliminated the constant turmoil of needing to spend every waking moment worrying about survival and freed man to pursue other ventures that would further enhance the life of human kind.

Yes. The supermarket certainly held many wonders.

The cart continued its whine of protest as it was pushed down the aisle, the burden of its contents weighing down on wheels that desperately needed to be oiled. Sugoroku winced as the lament of his cart bounced along the linoleum and ricochet against the shelves lined with canned goods. He grabbed the item he was certain Yuugi had requested and quickly made his way over to the checkout line, eager to rid himself of the rickety basket with wheels.

Sugoroku hadn't realized just how much food he was buying until he noticed the ten paper bags filled to the brim overflowing from his cart. He groaned lightly at the thought of having to load the groceries into his car. His back had vehemently protested after his last excursion to the grocery store and Yuugi had admonished him for even thinking of going without him.

It was a good thing he had bought that bottle of aspirin.

"Ya need a han' wit' those gramps?"

Sugoroku turned to scowl at the insolent teenager. "Have you no respect for your elders?" His scowl was replaced with a smile as he chuckled at the teenager's shrug. "Thanks Jou, I could use some help with these."

With his trade mark grin, Jou took the cart from Sugoroku and pushed it into the parking lot. "So wha' are ya doin' 'ere by yurself, Grampa? I though' Yuugi made it clear youz weren' suppose ta go ta the store wit'out 'im."

"Yuugi tends to forget who the adult is," Sugoroku said as he unlocked his car and stepped aside so Jou could unload the cart. "We needed a few things and I didn't know when he was going to be back. By the way, weren't you and him-"

"Yeah," Jou interrupted, not out of disrespect but because of the unease of the topic. "We hung a' the mall for awhiles until... Well, Yuugi decided he wanted someone else's comp'ny." The words were said quickly, a hint of anger present in their undertone.

Sugoroku didn't say anything as Jou finished loading the groceries into the back of the car. He recognized Jou's tone. It was full of pain and frustration and agitation. Just like it was every time he and Yuugi fought. He didn't have to think long to figure out whose company Yuugi had sought. Lately, Yami was the only person Yuugi ever wanted to be around.

"Need a lift?" Sugoroku asked as he opened the passenger door. Jou nodded in appreciation, abandoning the shopping cart and jumping into the car. "Where to?"

"Jus' home," Jou replied. He leaned his head against the window and closed his eyes as Sugoroku coaxed the old engine into turning over. The rough hum of the engine vibrated the small car as Sugoroku eased into drive and the flow of traffic. After a few moments of silence Jou felt the need to unburden himself. "I jus' dun ge' it!"

"I know, it's difficult," Sugoroku agreed.

"It's more 'an dat! It's wrong!" Jou took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself enough so he could continue without shouting. "Doesn' he see how dangerous he is? I mean, he kills people for Kami's sake! How can Yug jus' accep' dat?"

"Because Yami kills for _him_, Jou." Sugoroku took a side-glance at Jou before sighing. "Yuugi doesn't accept Yami's killing of others-"

"He's not agains' it either, or he woulda stopped 'im."

"It's not that simple Jou. There really is only one way to stop him, but Yuugi would never do it because he doesn't want to. Violence is part of Yami's nature, and to take that away from him would be to change Yami and, in a sense, change Yuugi himself." Sugoroku looked over at Jou again, a sad acceptance in his eyes.

"So why don' you do it?" Jou asked. "I know youz feel the same way I dos' 'bout him. You'd be able ta dismantle tha puzzle an' save Yuugi."

"No, I wouldn't." Sugoroku averted his eyes as Jou gaped at him. "Not only would I be dead before I even touched the puzzle, but I refuse to destroy Yuugi's one chance at happiness."

"You've gots ta be kidding! 'Happiness'?!" Jou exclaimed. "Wha' happiness? How could he possibly be happy hangin' 'round someone as dark an' arrogant an' selfish as Yami? All tha' bastard has done is isolate and corrup' Yuugi." Jou fell back against his seat, pouting as he folded his arms across his chest.

Sugoroku pursed his lips. He understood Jou's protest better than anyone did. Both of them had been prominent figures in Yuugi's life, helping to guide and protect him through all his trials and tribulations. Perhaps they had done their job too well. Instead of protecting Yuugi and building his confidence in himself, he had come to depend on them for everything, never believing he had the ability to deal or cope with difficult situations. After Yami came, Sugoroku witnessed his grandson's strength explode under the careful and strict tutelage of the spirit. Yami became all that Yuugi needed.

He agreed wholeheartedly with Jou's description of the ancient pharaoh. But he had the troublesome complication of witnessing Yami and Yuugi interact in the privacy of their home. He saw how happy Yuugi was, almost giddy when he was in the presence of his other. He also saw how depressed Yuugi became when he and Yami were separated.

"You say he has corrupted Yuugi..." Sugoroku began. Jou nodded. "I wonder if that's such a bad thing."

"Eh?" Jou asked, looking blankly at Sugoroku. "When is corruption eva a good thing?"

"When it makes you stronger."

Both men sat in silence for the rest of the drive. Jou was having a difficult time accepting Sugoroku's view, having already decided that under no circumstance would he accept Yami. But Sugoroku had poked a few holes in the veil of righteousness he had so comfortably wrapped himself in. He made no motion to get out of the car as Sugoroku pulled up in front of his house.

"Yuugi ga' me an ultimatum today," Jou said quietly.

"And?" Sugoroku prompted.

"... I dunno. I dunno wha' ta do." Jou lowered his head in his hands. "The jist of it is, eithers I accep' his feelings for Yami or..." He still found himself unable to say it.

"Or you and he will no longer be friends," Sugoroku concluded for him. Jou nodded his head, a large sigh escaping his lips. Sugoroku closed his eyes. Though he should have been surprised, he could not bring himself to be. Yuugi was beginning to systematically challenge all those who did not agree with his and Yami's relationship. He himself had been given a similar choice, though his consequences would have been far more dire.

"So wha' do I do?" Jou asked meekly.

"Think long and hard, Jou. Think long and hard."

~}~{~}~}~{~}~}~{~}~}~{~}~}~{~}~}~{~}~}~{~}~}~{~}~}~{~}~}~{~}~}~{~}~

It was dark this night. Darker than most. The clouds drifted lazily across the sky, blotting out the moon and stars that desperately tried to shine their light upon the solitary figure that walked the streets. There were no shadows lurking about on this night, the street lights having been starved of their power after a traffic accident destroyed the power relay station.

It was cold out as well. The wind had invited the chill of the ocean to accompany it on its journey across the land. Any other person would have shivered as the frost danced along their skin, arms bare in a sleeveless tee that barely covered the taught stomach over which it was pulled. A strong, steady beat could be heard as long legs walked perpetually over the pavement of the sidewalk, no trace of hesitation at the lack of light or the quietness of the street.

An engine. A loud rumble tearing through the quiet night. Headlights followed, twin beams of yellowish light penetrating the darkness directly in front of them. The man continued walking a few moments, giving the car a chance to catch up with him as it came to a crawling stop against the curb. He immediately turned and opened the door, settling himself without looking at the driver. The car pulled away with a squeal as tires burned against the asphalt.

"You were following me," Yami stated.

"Yep," Yuugi replied as he guided the car around a corner. "I was bored... had nothing else to do."

"It is two o'clock in the morning, aibou. You should be asleep," Yami noted.

"And you should be home," Yuugi countered. He sighed when Yami didn't answer. Once again Yuugi had awoken to find himself alone in his bed, the warm and comforting body of his Yami absent as it had been so many nights before. Yami and Yuugi had shared a bed for years, finding a peace and security when in such close proximity that they could not find elsewhere.

Yuugi was beginning to feel... almost... rejected by Yami. Maybe not rejected... that was too harsh a word. But he was feeling lost and alone; Yami's nightly disappearances weighing down his fatigued soul. It was just like everything else. He needed to feel his Yami at night, hear the slow deep breaths of sleep and the light shuffle of sheets as his other turned to find a more comfortable position. Yuugi just didn't feel right when the Pharaoh wasn't near him.

Yuugi continued to drive through the deserted streets, wary of the dark intersections that no longer had their brightly colored signals. Yami raised an eyebrow as Yuugi pulled into the large parking lot of the mall, speeding through the deserted lot before coming to a stop in front of the entrance to the ice rink. He turned his questioning gaze to Yuugi as the car's engine was silenced.

"I figured this is where you were headed," Yuugi explained quietly. "After seeing you here earlier today it dawned on me that this is where you go at night. Your ice skating is one of the few things you have kept from me." Yuugi slowly unlocked his door and exited the vehicle without looking at Yami, the hurt he felt preventing him from glancing into Yami's crimson eyes.

Yami closed his eyes and sighed, hesitating a moment before he too exited the car and followed his hikari to the rink's door. Yuugi had allowed him to feel some of the pain he was experiencing, and it tore at Yami's soul to know that he was the cause of his aibou's sadness. If it had been anyone else they would have been killed immediately. But he could not kill himself. There were far too many reasons and he was not in the mood to recite them all.

He caught up quickly with Yuugi, the two of them coming to a stop in front of the locked doors. Yuugi looked at him patiently. When Yami returned the look, Yuugi sighed as a slight smirk formed on his lips.

/I'm just waiting to see how you break in here every night. I'm really quite intrigued./ Yami could hear Yuugi's smirk in his mind, and the spirit had to suppress a chuckle at the eagerness in the tone.

Amusement flashed its way across Yami's eyes. He blinked slowly as he turned and walked smoothly to the edge of the glass door, reaching above its edge as his fingers closed around a small metallic object. Bringing the key down in front of him, he presented it to Yuugi whose face was crinkled in confusion.

//Disappointed?//

/Well... yeah,/ Yuugi said matter-of-factly as he took the key from Yami. /I was expecting something a bit more... I don't know.../

//Theatrical?// Yami offered. This time he did allow himself a chuckle as Yuugi glared at him. His amusement quickly vanished as his body froze, his mind sharpening as he saw a shadow moving towards him and Yuugi.

Yuugi squinted as a bright light was shone in his face, raising his arm in an attempt to block the offensive light. Yami took a step closer to Yuugi, his red eyes reflecting the light with the brilliance of a ruby.

"Hey, you there! What are you doing here so late?" the security guard demanded. His eyes caught the glint of light reflecting off metal, and he narrowed his eyes on Yuugi. "What is that you've got in your hand there, boy?" he growled.

Yuugi lowered his arms and tried to look around the light at the security guard, ducking his head to the side. "It's nothing. Just my car keys."

"Car keys, huh?" The guard reached out and roughly took Yuugi's left hand in his. "This don't look like no car key to me," he said as he twisted the silver ring on Yuugi's finger. Such soft hands this boy had... his skin was smooth as alabaster and nearly as pale. He wouldn't mind feeling some more of this boy...

The guard never had a chance to think further on the subject as Yami roughly gripped his wrist and wrenched his hand from Yuugi's. He slammed his palm into the guard's chest, cracking his breastbone and expelling all air from his lungs. He then turned on his leg and brought the heel of his foot against the guard's jaw with a sickening crunch, knocking him to the ground.

Yami reached out an arm and pulled Yuugi behind him as he continued to stare at the guard writhing on the ground. Harsh words spilled from the man's mouth as he held his hand against his jaw, trying to hold the broken bone together. Anger flared through him as his body throbbed with pain. He reached for his holster and shakily drew his gun, releasing the safety and aiming his piece at the taller of the two assailants.

"What the hell is the matter with you?!" he shouted, though his words were slurred as he tried to speak around his broken jaw. His anger grew when Yami refused to respond. He noticed Yami's protective stance and began laughing. "Oh, I see. You're jealous! Don't worry, I won't hurt him, and there will be plenty left over for you."

Yuugi buried his face in Yami's back, sighing as he listened to the guard's foolish words. He raised his hands and took hold of Yami's shirt has he felt the spirit's body tense in preparation. He took a deep breath as he felt the power emanate from the Pharaoh, anger and hatred and passion swirling together in a mass of emotion that tore into the guard and shattered his mind and soul. He pressed himself against Yami's back as he felt him take a large sigh, his body shivering slightly.

Yami closed his eyes and turned his thoughts inward, trying to calm the storm of emotions that fueled his power over the Shadows. His mind lurched against his attempt to regain control, finally relenting as he drew strength from Yuugi's warm embrace. He opened his eyes and turned around, taking the key from Yuugi's hand and opening the door to the rink.

Yuugi looked at the motionless body of the guard. The man's eyes were open and vacant, fogged over with the pain and fear of the shattering of his soul. After a final thought of sympathy Yuugi banished the man from his memory and redirected his thoughts to Yami. He found the spirit leaning against the side of the rink, his knuckles white with the force of his grip. He was panting slightly, his eyes clenched in effort.

"Yami?" Yuugi inquired softly. "Are you alright?" He nuzzled against Yami's shoulder when the spirit didn't answer, trying to offer quiet support as he waited for him to pull himself together.

//I am... fine, hikari,// Yami said as he straightened himself, mindful of the head on his shoulder. He raised his hand and placed it against Yuugi's head, brushing his thumb over his temple before walking over to the skate rental booth.

Yuugi watched him as Yami gracefully hopped over the counter and selected a pair of skates for himself. His concern had doubled with the hesitation of Yami's answer. He had long known something happened to Yami when he used his magic... such a power could not be expected to be controlled without a price. But Yami had never told him what the price was, or even that he had to pay for protecting him.

"What happens?" Yuugi asked as Yami finished tying his laces. "I can't stand to see you hurting when I don't know what causes your pain."

Yami didn't answer, instead standing and making his way over to the ice. Gingerly he placed one blade onto the solid surface to gain his footing before pushing off and beginning his nightly routine. He had expected Yuugi to ask him this question for quite some time, but even though he was expecting it, he still did not have a satisfactory answer. He could feel Yuugi's growing agitation and decided it would be most prudent to give some sort of response.

//It is an... unpleasant, experience,// Yami began. //I do not simply wield the Shadows.//

Yuugi nodded, even though Yami couldn't see him as he was on the other side of the rink. He remembered Yami explaining to him how his soul and the Shadow magics were connected, interlaced with each other. /Yes, I remember you telling me./

//There is always a price to be paid. It depends on the action the Shadows are used for.// Yami paused, trying to decide how best to explain the matter. //A piece of the soul I banish... it...// He came to a stop on the ice, raising his hand as he searched for the proper words. //It attaches itself to me.// Yami sighed as he resumed skating around the rink.

Yuugi walked to the break in the wall surrounding the ice, leaning forward slightly in interest. /Attaches itself? How? I mean, what happens?/

//I witness an instant of the person's life in that moment between when a soul is separated from its body and when it is banished. A portion of their personality is engrained into my soul.// Yami's pace along the ice increased as he finished his explanation. It was difficult for him to admit this affect of his magic. The fragment of the personality infused within him was insignificant, but he was still acutely aware of its presence. A voice the size of a grain of sand, wedged deep in the recesses of his mind.

Yami swung his leg forward and jumped off the ice in a fashion that had been labeled a 'triple axle.' Spinning three times in the air, he landed back on the ice with the lightness of a feather, extending his free leg fully behind him and stretching his arms to the side. He released the breath he had been holding, expelling the tension of his mind. Yami turned to complete the movement, coming face to face with Yuugi.

Yuugi smiled as Yami blinked his eyes several times, confusion and surprise playing across his features. Yuugi had sensed Yami's distress and had instantly put on a pair of skates so he could talk to Yami directly. Where he couldn't hide, or turn away, or close himself off.

"You hear them, don't you?" Yuugi asked quietly. "Even though you try to ignore them, you can't tune them out."

"Not always," Yami whispered.

Yuugi regarded his Yami carefully. So much emotion passed through his eyes if one knew where to look. Yami fell victim to the same stereotype that Yuugi did himself. He was the darkness... therefor he should be pure evil. Uncaring, unfeeling, no remorse, unrepentant, unconcerned... every negative connotation in the dictionary was supposed to apply to him.

Yuugi knew better.

Yami was not uncaring; he cared deeply for him. Yami was not unfeeling; Yuugi knew he loved him. Yami did have remorse; he continuously apologized to Yuugi that he had not been with him since the day of his birth to protect him. Yami was not unrepentant; he regretted the few decisions he had made that had resulted in pain, either physical or emotional, for Yuugi. Yami was not unconcerned; Yuugi was the reason his heart beat, and he would always be dedicated to his welfare and happiness.

And as he thought of these characteristics of his Yami, Yuugi was unable to hold back any longer.

Yuugi raised his hands and cupped Yami's face, guiding him down so their lips met. Though he had never kissed anyone before, there was no hesitation in his movements as he closed his eyes and pressed his lips softly against the cool mouth of his Yami. Even though there was a chill to Yami's lips because of the coldness of the room, Yuugi felt a torrent of warmth spread from his face to the rest of his body.

Yami did not resist Yuugi's advancement, allowing himself to be pulled towards the eager hikari. He responded only lightly to the kiss, relishing in the warmth of Yuugi's hands enveloping his face and the snow soft lips that pressed against his own. His hands rose of their own accord to Yuugi's waist, his palms pressing urgently against the slender hips as his fingers crawled their way under the hem of Yuugi's shirt.

The unexpected chill of Yami's fingers caused Yuugi to shiver, pulling his body flush against Yami's. He sighed as the fingers slipped beneath the rim of his pants, teasingly dancing their way along the shivering skin. Yuugi parted his lips so he could trail his tongue against Yami's mouth, outlining the soft curves before separating the lips with his own so he could suckle them. An almost inaudible moan escaped from Yami's throat as Yuugi sent wave after wave of pleasure throughout his senses as he continued his gentle ministrations.

Yuugi was moving to slowly. The sexual tension had been building between the two for years and now that one of them had made the first move, the carnal passion in Yami consumed his mind as he took control of the situation. He took a firm grasp on Yuugi's hips and skated forward, guiding his smaller partner across the ice without breaking the kiss.

Yuugi gasped lightly as his backside collided with the side of the rink, but he didn't have time to react as he felt Yami's hands slip down and grab the back of his thighs, lifting him so that he sat on the edge of the wall. Yami pulled Yuugi's legs forward so that they were on either side of him before wrapping his long arms tightly around Yuugi's waist.

Yuugi gladly allowed his more experienced Yami to take control, wrapping his legs carefully around his waist and brushing his hands back into his long and luxurious hair. The kiss grew more demanding, both Yami and Yuugi tasting the need and want and desire of the other. Yami tasted like the desert sand, hot and simmering and alluring and smooth and unforgiving and lustful and timely. Yuugi reminded Yami of ice, crisp and cool and hard and soft and pure and white and melting. Melting into him, into the heat of the moment, into the feelings that both of them had repressed for far too long.

Yami guided his tongue under Yuugi's top lip, running it slowly along the sensitive flesh, ensuring Yuugi felt every moment of contact. He repeated the action with the lower lip, eliciting inticing mewls and whimpers from the squirming Yuugi in his arms. Yami raised one of his hands to the back of Yuugi's head, trailing his fingers along the back of his neck and up into his hair. He teased his other hand along Yuugi's side until he reached his stomach, pushing up the hem of Yuugi's shirt and laying his hand flat against his skin.

Yuugi leaned into the contact, pulling Yami impossibly close as he dipped his fingers under the neck of Yami's shirt and traced the curvature of his spine. A low growl was emitted from Yami's throat as Yuugi squeezed his legs together, the friction caused by the movement burning its way straight to his mind. Yuugi trembled. He wanted to hear that sound again. The raw emotion behind the noise summarized everything that was Yami and he wanted to drown himself in it.

Yami was about to pull back to give himself and Yuugi a chance to breathe but Yuugi would have none of that. He closed his mouth around Yami's tongue before he had a chance to pull away and sucked gently, tracing small patterns with the tip of his tongue along the underside of his prisoner. He was rewarded with another growl as Yami wrenched his tongue free and began to explore the warm and moist mouth of his hikari. The hand that rested against Yuugi's stomach crept upwards; fingers brushed against Yuugi's nipple before resting over his heart.

Yuugi was dizzy for so many different reasons. The closeness of Yami, his breath, his touch, his taste. The shivers that jumped along his skin as Yami's fingers curled and flexed against his smooth chest. The heat that radiated from Yami's mouth, his skin, his breath. The stream of emotion that coursed into him through their open link; raw, rough, intense, pure, commanding. All of this combined with the fact that Yuugi could not possibly force enough air into his lungs left him feeling light-headed and warm and fuzzy and tingly and swirling and falling and floating and everything in-between.

Once before Yuugi felt he couldn't breathe unless he was near Yami. Being in the Pharaoh's embrace now reminded him that perhaps breathing did not deserve the emphasis placed upon it.

Yami was finally able to pull himself away from Yuugi's highly addictive flavor, gulping in a breath of air as he began to nip and lick his way from Yuugi's jaw-line to the tip of his ear. The wet trail he left in his wake caused Yuugi to moan as the cold air of the ice below them blew teasingly along the moist skin. Yami's attentions soon turned to gentle sucks and bites as he traced his way down the pulsing vein in Yuugi's neck, leaving small red marks that announced his claim.

Yuugi panted heavily as Yami continued to bring untold amounts of pleasure to his neck, the hand on his chest sliding downwards to caress his inner thigh. He placed his mouth against the shell of Yami's ear and exhaled, his warm and moist breath surrounding the thin flesh in an inferno of heat. Yami groaned at the sensation, squeezing his hand on Yuugi's thigh as he intensified his assault on Yuugi's throat.

Fully licking Yami's ear, Yuugi forced his head under Yami's chin, whimpering a moment at the loss of heat he felt on his neck. Yami was about to protest when he felt soft lips on the front of his own neck, small butterfly kisses landing across the skin as Yuugi kissed his way down, his hands falling from Yami's hair to rest along his shoulders. Yami released a shuddering breath as Yuugi lazily swirled his tongue in the hollow of his neck, swallowing hard as Yuugi moved to kiss his clavicle through his extremely thin shirt, the warmth of Yuugi's lips penetrating the fabric easily.

Just when he thought he couldn't take anymore Yuugi took his face in his hands and guided their lips together again. The kiss was slow and thorough, lips pressing against each other as their tongues swirled and caressed in a dance of dominance. Yuugi pulled away slowly, but only so far as to allow him and Yami to gulp in the air they desperately needed. Yami let his head fall forward so that his and Yuugi's foreheads rested against each other, their lips brushing together on occasion as both of them panted.

"And you've been keeping that from me?" Yuugi whispered between ragged breaths. Yami merely grunted in reply, not in the frame of mind or mood to form coherent thoughts. Yuugi chuckled as he rubbed his thumb over Yami's parted lips, relishing in the feel of his heated breath.

"Why do you come here, my Yami?" Yuugi asked after a moment.

Yami rubbed his nose against Yuugi's before resting their foreheads together again, bringing his arms back around Yuugi's waist so he could hold them closer together. //It is easy for me to think here. There are no... distractions,// Yami said as he opened one eye and looked at Yuugi to emphasize his meaning. At Yuugi's smile he closed his eye again and sighed. //The coldness here is not unlike that in which I was imprisoned. Oddly enough, it offers some sort of comfort for me. The voices are not as loud here.//

Yuugi nodded in understanding. "You don't have to pretend here. There is no one to see you, to see what you consider to be a weakness. Only it isn't, Yami. Though you may hear the voices of those you have banished, they are nothing more than echoes. Just as hollow and just as meaningless. They do not judge you. They do not control you. They are simply a reminder of your actions, a reflection that keeps you with me and out of the control of the Shadows."

Yami considered Yuugi's words carefully. To look upon the voices as a reminder rather than damnation... the release such a change in thinking would bring was almost too much to grasp. He leaned forward and kissed his Yuugi harshly, but not without a great deal of love and gratitude. He pulled away, pulling with him a whimper of disappointment from Yuugi, and rested his head on Yuugi's shoulder. The enormity of torment that left him left him feeling drained and sleepy.

"My desert mirage," Yuugi whispered as he trailed his fingers in Yami's hair and down his side, causing the muscles to twitch under his soft caress. Yami made some kind of questioning noise in the back of his throat. "That's how I see you," Yuugi explained. "Both on the ice and off. You are as beautiful to me as a desert mirage is to a dying man. Though I have no intention of dying any time soon."

A sincere chuckle floated up to Yuugi's ears as Yami straightened himself so he could look at his aibou directly. Such warmth and peace and trust shined from those remarkably bright violet eyes as Yuugi tilted his head and smiled. Yami shook his head slightly in disbelief, his rare smile fading as an unpleasant memory surfaced.

//You fought with Jounochi again.//

Yuugi's smile faltered as he looked away from Yami, but soon returned as he came to a realization. "Yeah, I did. I gave him a choice this time, Yami."

Yami raised an eyebrow in suspicious question. //And?//

Yuugi's grin widened as he turned to face Yami again, wrapping his arms behind Yami's neck and bringing their faces close enough so that their noses touched.

"It doesn't matter. I just realized that it doesn't matter at all. Whatever he decides... I really don't care anymore. You are my heart and my soul. You are my conscience and my strength. _You_ are my Yami. As I am your Hikari. And nothing else matters."

Yami was about to kiss Yuugi, to drag him out of the arena and back to the waiting car outside and into the warm bed that promised to be the place of many passionate and memorable encounters until Yuugi spoke again.

"But if you ever come here without me again, no matter the hour, I'm disowning you."

Yuugi laughed fully at the growl and glare he recieved from his extremely agitated and remarkably his Yami.


	3. Numb

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Disclaimer: Plain and simple. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh

A/N: Hello, and welcome to chapter three of Blue Ice. I hope it will be worth the wait. Three more chapters will follow. I haven't written the lemon between Yuugi and Yami yet, but when I do, I will post the link to my mediaminer account for those who want to read it. I will also thank my reviewers in that chapter. So for now, please enjoy!

Blue Ice

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By Ocean

Chapter Three: Numb

Yami deftly maneuvered by a group of small children who had decided it was more enjoyable to simply stand in the middle of the ice rather than skate on it. He ignored the teenagers that stumbled beside him, the couples that cuddled behind him, and the professional skaters rehearsing in front of him. His eyes didn't see the blue tinted ice beneath him, having long ago memorized the exact length and shape of the rink. His aura alerted him to the presence of every body around him, so there was no need for his eyes to see.

Yami increased his pace along the ice, the added pressure he applied to his blades allowing them to have better traction on the slick surface. His thoughts reverted to the previous night as he followed the bend of the rink, changing his direction blindly as did the rest of the skaters, much like a flock of birds flying lazily over a mountain. A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, but did not succeed in pulling his lips into the recognizable curve of a smile.

Yuugi's passion had not been unexpected, rather a needed and anticipated embrace for a tired soul in need of comfort. The heat that radiated from the lithe body did wonders as it penetrated the icy chill in Yami's core and burned away the coldness that had resided there for far too long. Even the cry of the angry souls that Yami had banished could not overpower the marvel of the taste and sound and fragrance and touch of his Yuugi.

Yami's brows creased lightly as thoughts of the previous night continued to unfurl. He knew his hikari had been just as disappointed, if not more so, with the outcome of the evening. They had barely made it home from the rink; Yami setting Yuugi on his lap for the ride, petting and stroking and sliding his hands along the smooth body and in many places were they did not belong. Yuugi did nothing to aid the situation as he had leaned back into Yami's touch, barely keeping his attention on the road as he shifted his body so he could be in continuos contact with his Yami's hands.

It was not meant to be that night. The soul of the guard that had threatened Yuugi that evening was as irate and persistent as any that Yami had encountered. It screamed and pulled and tore at Yami's mind relentlessly, to the point that no action Yami took would silence it. He had tried to stifle the voice, tried to surrounded it in the imposing shroud of the Shadows, tried to ignore the pain in his head as the soul rallied others to protest violently against their banishment.

Yuugi had done his best to comfort Yami, laying him down on the couch in the darkness and placing his head in his lap, leaning over his body and petting him continuously in an effort to coax his body into relaxation so that Yami's mind could be freed of its anguish. Several hours passed before Yami's body ceased its shivers and the cold sweat on his brow evaporated, leaving Yami to fall into a light and uneasy sleep. Unknowingly he had clutched Yuugi's hand to his face, finding comfort in the softness and warmth of his fingers, but at the same time not allowing Yuugi to shift into a more comfortable position for the duration of the evening, providing him with an extremely stiff neck in the morning.

A slight scowl formed on Yami's face as the cool air of the ice flowed gently around him, tickling his skin. He had been having difficulty suppressing the voices as of late, unable to ignore them as thoroughly as he had in the past. They had amused him once; he had been intrigued at how the personalities were so resilient, so eager to persist in their existence that they would attach themselves to him in a final and desperate attempt of survival. He had not minded them then, had not minded the attention and company they had provided as he roamed the endless void of his prison.

But he wasn't in his prison anymore, and now the voices did nothing more than serve as a reminder, as Yuugi had said. Echoes of memories he no longer wanted, of deeds that held no relevance for him other than the fact that with them he had protected Yuugi.

Yami considered that thought for a moment, spinning as he avoided a flailing arm sent in his direction. Yuugi. He had required much protection when Yami had first met him, fate deciding that he was the one strong enough to stand by Yami's side and assist him as he fought to save the world. That protection had required much of Yami, forcing him to utilize the Shadows often, as those who posed a threat to his hikari were often supernatural in nature.

Perhaps that was the reason the voices were becoming more insistent, louder and stronger and more demanding of retribution against their fate. Yami had claimed many souls in the name of Yuugi in a short amount of time. Times were more peaceful now, the dangers not as powerful or as numerous, the enemies mortal, their punishment quick. There was a word for how things stood now, for the mostly peaceful times that surrounded the once active and powerful pharaoh.

Idle.

Idleness was a menace, serving no purpose other than to elicit boredom and a chance for minds to wander without restraint or supervision. A time for dust to collect, for eyelids to grow heavy, for memories to resurface, for long lost voices to rediscover their strength and speak out. Yes, this is what had happened to him. This was the reason for the sudden potency of the voices.

Yami could hear them now simply because there was nothing else for him to do.

Yami's pace increased again at this realization, a slight urgency building within him as he recklessly passed the other skaters on the ice. This was not good. The Shadows did not like being idle, did not like having nothing to do other than 'being.' It was a very dangerous position to be in. The small release they recieved when Yami would utilize their power when he shattered the soul of the one threatening Yuugi was insufficient, inadequate, and wholly unsatisfying. They were use to far grandeur actions. The summoning of night, the destruction of a city, the torturing of a mortal soul. But the simple protection of a single child was a waste of their potential.

A sneer momentarily appeared on Yami's face as he heard the faintest whisper in the back of his mind. The Shadows were the ones behind his conflict. They had not resented his control over them when he had used them for grand purposes, but now that he had no such desire to use them in similar ventures they were growing restless, longing for the release the pharaoh denied them. Yami was unwilling to give them the freedom they wanted so desperately. If he were to release them, let them have their fun, they would not discriminate as they annihilated the city. The Shadows would not hurt him, of course, for he and the Shadows were one.

But they held no such distinction for Yuugi. To them, he was nothing more than another mortal for which they could amuse themselves. Even Yami's amazing power would not be able to protect Yuugi indefinitely, and the Shadows were a relentless force that felt no hunger or thirst or fatigue. Eventually, they would kill him, and there would be nothing Yami could do to stop them. Except, perhaps, to seal himself and the Shadows away again. But that would serve no purpose, as now the Shadows knew how to escape their prison, and Yami was certain that Yuugi would release them if it meant having him by his side.

Another, and still another voice joined the whispers in the back of his mind, and Yami shook his head roughly to try and regain control of his thoughts. The sudden action threw him off balance, a vivid example of just how much he was affected by them, and he collided with a young man, about twenty years of age, and sent them both colliding into the side wall of the rink.

Yami gripped the wall tightly, the sudden jarring actually aiding him in suppressing the whispers in his mind as his attention was brought to an abrupt focus. He vaguely heard a terse voice shouting at him, but he ignored it, unconcerned with what the man was saying.

"Hey! What the hell did you think you were doing?!" the man shouted, his anger rapidly increasing as the drug that flowed through his blood continued to adversely influence his thoughts. "Hey! I'm talking to you!"

Yami continued to ignore him, slowly straightening himself until he was standing on his skates again, unaided by the wall. His brows were creased lightly in thought as he tried to reason out how he had lost control. His senses should have told him there was someone near him. He should not have collided with that man, nor should he have lost his balance after having done so. The accident should _not_ have happened, for so many reasons.

Yami turned away from the man, feeling no need to apologize to him, barely even registering his presence. It appeared that his reflexes were not all that they should be, and he needed to determine why immediately. The whispers returned, and Yami involuntarily growled at them as they grated on his extremely raw nerves.

It was at this point that a young woman, her eyes bloodshot and dilated as the same drug pumped through her veins as in her boyfriend's, appeared in front of him, halting his departure. Yami blinked slowly at her, his irritation growing steadily as the whispers in his mind progressed to muffled voices.

"Look buddy," she said, a little too quickly, voice a little too high pitched. "You owe my man an apology. You could have killed him!" Her face twisted into a frown as Yami did not react to her outlandish claim. "What kind of monster are you that you don't even care that you hurt someone?!" she shouted in disbelief.

__

Monster...

Yami's eyes widened at the sharpness of the word that originated from within his mind. The voices were growing bolder. They no longer feared the threat of his reprimand for the simple fact that he could do nothing against them, and now they knew. They _were_ only echoes. Echoes he couldn't shut out, sounds that he could not block from his ears since they were born from within. But this...

__

Devil, that is what you are...

This had never happened before. The strength behind the words had never been present before. They had always been weak, meek, afraid, skittish. But now they were so bold, so forceful, so...

__

Eyes of blood, for that is what you are drenched in...

Loud.

They were so damn _loud._

Yami flinched as he felt a hand on his arm. The voices had so distracted him that he had forgotten where he was or the incident he was involved in just moments before. He felt a cold, sharp, stinging sensation in his arm, on the underside of his elbow. He jerked away, grabbing onto the wrist that held the syringe and snapping it backwards, easily breaking the fragile bones, but not before a good portion of the drug inside the syringe had been injected directly into his vein.

"Fuck!" the man yelled as he cradled his broken wrist, the syringe in his hand falling to the ice. His girlfriend screamed as she made her way over to him and pulled him away from Yami as quickly as she was able. "What the hell was that for?! I was just trying to lighten you up! You are too fucking tense!"

Yami glared at him in response, his crimson eyes boring into that of the man that had had the nerve to touch him, the man sweating profusely, not from the pain in his wrist, but from the murderous look in Yami's eyes and the drug coursing through him. Yami ground his teeth together, his lips pulling back in a snarl as he slowly glided towards the man, his bitterness at the voices forgotten as the more recent memory of the small pain in his arm directed his anger towards the man that had inflicted the discomfort.

The woman screamed loudly for someone to help her and her boyfriend, that there was a dangerous man who had attacked them first and would surely kill them if no one came to their aid. Only a few listened to her erratic screams, some altering their paths on the ice to surround Yami and try to keep him from the couple, others skating to the rink's exit so they could catch the attention of one of the security guards.

Yami ignored all of them, his anger burning his skin as sweat appeared on his brow. He wobbled a bit on his skates, coming to a slow stop as confusion lovingly wrapped itself around his mind. He blinked extremely slowly, anxiety settling on him as his vision lost its sharpness and the colors of the other skaters bled together into one giant, moving, swirling mass. His breathing increased on its own accord, becoming rapid and shallow, his lungs unable to pull enough oxygen from the air to support his body.

He felt like he was suffocating and burning alive and freezing to death all at once. He couldn't keep his thoughts in order, couldn't keep them stable enough for him to latch onto them and hold them in place so he could pull himself from the chasm he was sinking in to. All sounds became muffled chatter, all smells became harsh and obtrusive, all lights were suddenly too bright, too illuminating of all that he was trying to hide, all he wanted to keep hidden from his aibou. His secrets were being exposed. He couldn't let that happen.

As Yami's mind fell under the influence of the drug, the rapid beating of his heart propelling the drug even further into his system, the tenuous hold he had over the Shadows began to shake. As his thoughts randomized, and he found he no longer had the capacity to find his link with Yuugi, the one person he trusted to help him as he slid out of control, his hold over the Shadows disintegrated as the drug acted like acid on the metaphorical bounds Yami had erected around the magics.

A strangled cry made its way past Yami's parched lips, his final protest against the Shadows plea to be released. He had his arms crossed over his face, his hands fisted as he tried to block the light, to turn his thoughts inward and not loose his control over the Shadows. His body trembled with his efforts, and those that had gathered around him thought nothing more than perhaps he was a disturbed individual, frightened or restless with the attention he was receiving.

The syringe on the ice went unnoticed as all eyes were focussed on the man with the unusually gorgeous hair and skintight clothing. On the man who shook with an unseen force that looked to tear his body apart. On the man whose body was covered with sweat, even though his skin would have felt as cold as ice to anyone who got close enough to touch.

On the man who, with a final gasp, lost his battle and in doing so, sealed the fate of all around him.

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Jou reached for the basket on the table between him and Yuugi, distractedly grabbing a french fry and bringing it to his mouth, chewing on it as he tried to think of a graceful way to speak his mind. Earlier that morning he had summoned the courage to call Yuugi, inviting him back to the mall so they could discuss... decide... try to work out the differences between them.

Yuugi had hesitantly accepted the invitation, his mind still troubled with the torment Yami had suffered during the night. Surprisingly enough, it had been Yami who had encouraged Yuugi to talk to Jou. He wanted to return to the ice rink anyway, and insisted that Yuugi remain close to him for the day, so even though Yuugi would be spending time with Jou, it was an adequate solution in his opinion. So Yuugi had immediately agreed.

And here they sat. At the same table as the day before, the same time of day, the same tension between them. Both friends had spoken barely a word to the other, simply exchanging casual pleasantries, Yuugi insisting that he pay for their fries and drinks. There had been little interaction between them for half an hour.

"Jou?" Yuugi asked quietly, peeking at his friend from beneath the hair that had fallen in front of his eyes as he tilted his head to look over the railing to the floors of the mall below. Jou turned his attention to Yuugi, apprehension evident in his gaze. "I want to thank you. You know, for inviting me here. For taking the initiative."

A smile graced Jou's lips, relief flooding through him as he listened to Yuugi's kind words. Perhaps this was going to be easier than he had thought, now that he and Yuugi had had a night to consider their positions. He had been afraid that Yuugi would not be open to him, would be unwilling to listen. Although a bit of that fear remained, he was feeling far more comfortable with his best friend, feeling as he should feel around the one person who's company he most enjoyed.

"Yur welcome, Yug," Jou replied honestly. "Ya know your frien'ship's impor'an' ta me. It jus' eats me up inside when you an' I fight."

"Yeah, me too." Yuugi shifted in his seat so he could face Jou more directly. He brought his hands in front of him on the table, clasping his fingers together as his features drew together somberly. "But we need to decide on this."

Jou swallowed. "... Now?" he asked tentatively, his nervousness causing his hands to twitch when Yuugi nodded his head once, the seriousness in his eyes piercing straight to his core. "Bu' I don' ge' it. Did sumthin' happen las' nigh' that made dis a life or death decision tha' has ta be made now?"

"Yes, Jou," Yuugi said quietly. "Something did happen last night. And this has always been an important matter to me. My life has taken a turn, Jou. A turn for the better." He paused for a moment, the weight of his next words causing them to stick in his throat. "I need to know if you are willing to accept me and my choices. If you are willing to be a part of my life, despite what you think of Yami."

Jou clenched his jaw, his eyes darkening as he heard the hidden implications in Yuugi's words. So their relationship had progressed last night, gone to the next level, no doubt thanks in part to the argument he and Yuugi had. In trying to convince Yuugi of how horribly wrong Yami was for him, he had only succeeded in driving Yuugi straight to the one he had wanted all along. He cursed himself, trying to hide the pain he felt by masking it with anger at Yami and Yuugi and himself.

Yuugi's brows furrowed as he watched Jou's face solidify into a mask of contempt. There was bitterness in his eyes, a snarl waiting on his lips, a stiffness in his body that all but screamed the emotions he was feeling inside. Yuugi was honestly confused by this reaction, having expected Jou to be anxious about having to make such a decision so quickly, but not expecting the anger and pain and resentment and...

Yuugi's eyes widened as he detected another emotion he had never even considered Jou would feel. He blinked, the realization of his discovery shaking what he thought was a solid foundation of knowledge. He stood slowly, holding Jou's intense gaze as he moved around the table and stood next to his friend.

"Jou?" Yuugi asked softly. Jou averted his gaze, taking a deep breath and releasing it harshly, unknowingly confirming Yuugi's suspicions. "Jou..." Yuugi said more forcefully when Jou refused to look at him.

"What?" Jou snapped, his unease at having Yuugi so close to him, staring at him with those large, knowing eyes, causing unwanted reactions in his body and unwelcome thoughts in his mind.

Yuugi sighed as he watched his best friend fidget in his chair. Jou only acted like this when something he had desperately wanted to keep secret became known, and he felt trapped and exposed and vulnerable, three emotions he hated with a passion. Jou slouched in his chair, crossing his arms stiffly across his chest as he tried to hide his inner turmoil. This was something Yuugi was never supposed to know, one of the many reasons Jou hated Yami so fervently.

"Look at me, Jou." Jou refused, pursing his lips as he absolutely refused to look at Yuugi. "Katsuya." Jou closed his eyes as Yuugi spoke his name, one of the few times he had ever addressed him in the intimate fashion, for it was rare that anyone ever called Jou by his given name. He knew he was defeated, knew that he would not be able to fight against the soothing tone of Yuugi's voice, or the concern held within.

"Wha' do ya wan' ta know, Yug?" Jou asked quietly, almost too quietly for Yuugi to hear, considering he kept his eyes closed and head turned away.

Yuugi tilted his head to the side as he heard the defeated tones of Jou's voice, a very foreign addition to the usually confident, friendly, and free voice. He had no idea he had hurt Jou so deeply. He studied his tense form as he searched through his memories, trying to look for any indications he may have overlooked or unwittingly ignored. After a few moments, he nodded once to himself, coming to another realization.

"For how long, Jou?" Yuugi asked. Jou shrugged his shoulders, finding it difficult to answer. "A week? A month?" Yuugi prompted.

"Eva since _he_ came, okay?" Jou said, his voice more defensive than he had intended.

Yuugi's body relaxed as Jou answered his question. "I had a suspicion," he said. He raised one leg and placed it next to Jou's side on his chair, his foot brushing against Jou's hip, an arm resting on his knee as he leaned forward, watching Jou's reaction intently. Jou turned wide and startled eyes to Yuugi, his mouth falling open as he realized that with very little effort Yuugi could straddle his waist and bring them within kissing distance.

"Wha... wh-wha' are ya doin'?" Jou managed to squeak as Yuugi continued to stare at him intently, seemingly unaware of the position he had put the two of them in. Jou couldn't help but think how much Yuugi looked like Yami at this moment, the cool air of confidence and authority circling Yuugi in tantalizing waves.

"What are you feeling right now, Jou?" Yuugi asked, his voice calm, low, and steady. He had to know, and he knew of no other way to test Jou's true feelings for him.

"Confused mos'ly," Jou said quickly, the words jumping from his mouth. His breathing picked up a notch as Yuugi raised a regal eyebrow at his answer.

"Nothing else?" Yuugi inquired.

"Well..." Jou began, swallowing as he tried to find his voice. "Nervous. Hot, scorchin' almos'. Bu' mos'ly..."

"Mostly...?" Yuugi encouraged.

"Uncomfor'ble."

Yuugi's eyes narrowed, and for a moment Jou thought he had said something to offend him. Yuugi leaned forward again, stopping just as his and Jou's noses touched, not once blinking, not once taking his eyes from Jou's. "Are you sure?"

Jou gulped, disbelief encompassing him at Yuugi's forwardness. "Yeah, I'm shure. Neva fel' more uncomfor'ble in my life."

Yuugi immediately pulled away at the response, walking around the table and back to his chair, sitting down slowly as he reached out for his drink and took a sip. Jou blinked several times in confusion, his mouth still hanging open as he tried to figure out what had just happened. Unable to formulate a satisfactory answer, Jou finally asked the one person who could explain.

"Wha' da hell jus' happened?" Jou asked.

Yuugi took another sip from his drink before setting the cup down on the table and leaning back in his chair. "You just proved something to me," Yuugi explained, folding his hands in his lap as he looked contentedly at Jou. "You don't love me Jou. At least, not in the way you think you do."

Jou's temper flared at the conviction of Yuugi's statement. "Now where do ya ge' off sayin' that?" he demanded. "Youz can' tell me how I feel!"

"Yes I can, Jou," Yuugi said calmly, anticipating Jou's outburst. "I'm not saying this to hurt you." He paused as Jou scoffed at the remark. "I'm saying this because I don't think you realize what you are doing."

"Enligh'en me den, oh Wise One," Jou mocked.

"You told me that you didn't realize your feelings for me until I found Yami, right?" Jou nodded his head curtly. "Up until that time, you were my best friend, my only friend for a while, and the most important person in my life next to Jichan. You were use to me depending on you, coming to you when I was in trouble and when I just needed a friendly ear. You were use to my worship of you."

Jou's gaze softened for a moment, honest surprise sparkling in his eyes. "Youz worshiped me?"

A slight blush graced Yuugi's cheeks as he modestly lowered his eyes, a small smile coming to his lips. "Yeah, I did. Though that wasn't something I ever thought I would tell you." Yuugi raised his eyes to Jou again. "You were so different from me. You have no idea how it felt to have someone you see as strong and confident welcome you into his life and accept you as his friend. The feeling is truly amazing."

Some of Jou's anger faded away with Yuugi's admission, his thoughts clearing, his willingness to listen to Yuugi strengthening. "So wha' does all this have ta do wit how I feel abou' youz?"

"Don't you see, Jou?" Yuugi asked, no accusation present in his tone. "You're upset because I no longer come to you as I once did. You are jealous that Yami has almost my full attention. You have misinterpreted your feelings of jealousy as those of love, and you tried to mask your feelings behind anger because anger is an easier emotion to explain."

Jou thought about Yuugi's explanation, turning the words over in his mind. It was true that he was jealous of Yami, jealous of the love and adoration and attention and affection he recieved from Yuugi with seemingly little effort. Could his jealousy have evoked such powerful emotions if he simply felt love for Yuugi in the sense of a friend? He had never been in love before he thought he had fallen in love with Yuugi, so he had no experience on which to compare his emotions.

"How can youz be so shure?" Jou asked quietly. "How can youz define my feelings when I can' even figure ou' wha's going on inside my head?"

Yuugi's eyes softened as he straightened himself in his chair, resting his arms on the table as he smiled at Jou, even though his friend was looking at the floor. "Because I have been in love, Jou. I _am_ in love. I understand how it feels. And of all the emotions I have felt in regards to Yami, 'uncomfortable' has never been one of them."

Jou lowered his head into his hands, sighing deeply as he pressed his palms against his eyes. "I'm no' so shure it's tha' simple, Yuugi. I'm so confused righ' now I don' even know wha' day of the week it is."

Jou waited for the witty remark he was certain Yuugi would give, concern creasing his brows as his friend did not offer any words of comfort. He peaked from between his fingers, his eyebrow raising in question as he saw the anxiety on Yuugi's face. Yuugi's violet eyes were distant, slightly dulled, and narrowed in concentration, a sure sign that he had turned his attention inwards and towards the link that he and Yami shared.

"Yug?" Jou ventured, unsure what could have alerted Yuugi so.

"Yami?" Yuugi whispered, his head turning slowly to the side as Jou's inquiry went unnoticed. Yuugi stood from his chair, walking over to the rail beside the table with slow, hesitant steps. The unease of his posture alerted Jou that something was horribly wrong as Yuugi gripped the edge of the rail tightly, leaning over its edge, his head tilted in the direction of the ice rink.

Yuugi suddenly let out a loud gasp, his body lurching forward as his eyes clenched at the intense violation in his mind. Jou leapt from his chair and grabbed Yuugi's waist in time to keep his friend from plunging the three stories to the floor below. With a grunt of effort, he pulled Yuugi back to the table, sitting him in his chair as Yuugi hung his head, gasping for air as his fingers kneaded into Jou's shirt.

"Yug! Hey, Yug! Wha' is it? Wha' happened?" Jou asked urgently, trying to draw Yuugi from whatever it was that had gripped him.

"Numb," Yuugi said, his voice shaky as he clenched his eyes even more tightly. "It's all... it's just numb..." There was urgency in his voice, an underlying panic that threatened to consume him if he faltered even once.

"You're no' makin' any sense, Yug," Jou said as he shook Yuugi lightly, trying to get his attention.

Yuugi's eyes snapped open, and in one fluid motion he freed himself from Jou's hold and jumped from his chair, running faster than he ever had down the aisle. He had to find him, had to help him before he was beyond his reach, before he lost him...

Jou got to his feet and ran after Yuugi, his long legs barely able to keep up with his shorter friend who moved with all the speed and grace of a cougar as he maneuvered through the crowds that littered the mall. He heard a few screams up ahead, a few gasps, a few shouts, a few wails as he and Yuugi made their way towards the stairs, Yuugi taking the steps five at a time in his haste to reach the first floor. Jou had to resort to sliding down the banister to keep up with him, hitting a few people on his way down and yelling his apologies over his shoulder.

There was no doubt in his mind now where they were headed, and with all the screaming and frantic cries, he had no doubt as to whom was the cause of whatever had happened at the ice rink.

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It cannot be thought as amusing, and yet those not present to witness the horror will chuckle to themselves as they think of the huddled masses that pause in their daily routine in order to observe the suffering of others. It happens on the streets, on the freeways, every car accident, every shooting in a deserted alley marked by yellow police tape that acts more as an advertisement than a warning. It was happening now, at a local mall with a newly built ice rink.

Perhaps the fascination was born of a morbid desire to see death; to see it for one's self in order to affirm that it indeed existed, indeed was real and not some elaborate hoax concocted by the world's best poets and writers. To see it in its purest form, not as inviting and beautiful, but rather harsh and cold and callous and eternal.

There was a cacophony of voices, some whispers of awe, others shrieks of horror, and still others cries of those who had witnessed the death of a close friend. Yuugi pushed his way through the crowd that had accumulated along the glass enclosure of the ice rink, forcing his way through as he used his diminutive size to his advantage, squeezing between the bodies that buzzed with the earnest intensity of a bee hive. He was finally able to make it to the double doors that separated the rink from the mall, but his progress was halted by a very large and very stressed security guard.

"People, please!" the guard shouted as he tried to push the crowd away from the doors and keep them clear for the emergency personnel. "You must stay back! Believe me, you don't want to go in there."

Yuugi ignored the man's pleas as he tried to move around him, trying to shove his way into the room that jailed his Yami. The guard roughly took hold of his arm and pulled him away from the door, his displeasure at being ignored evident as he glared at Yuugi. Yuugi was unimpressed and unaffected by the stern look, giving one of his own as his urgency to get to Yami heightened.

"I must get in there," Yuugi snapped as he pulled his arm free of the guard's grasp.

"Weren't you listening to a word I said?" the guard asked. "I can't let you in there. Whatever happened is still going on. If you go in there you might die, and I will not have that on my conscience."

"You don't have a choice, because I am going in there and you cannot stop me."

The guard was about to retort when something in Yuugi's gaze stopped him. He could see how determined the young man was, how set he was to enter the death trap. There was an enraged look in his eyes, their deep violet color highlighted by swirling tendrils of a darker hue, making his eyes appear as if they too where alive and anxious to enter the rink.

Hesitating a moment, unsure why the young man intimidated him so, the guard cleared his voice before speaking again. "I... I am the authority here, and I say you cannot enter. Trust me, child, it is for your own good."

Yuugi walked up to the guard and stood stiffly, giving the man one last chance to step aside and let him pass. His eyes narrowed as he heard a strangled cry, a sound he was certain no one else could hear, as Yami continued his struggles against the overwhelming force of the Shadows. He was calling for him, pleading with him as much as he was able to save him from the abyss that was surrounding him.

The guard swallowed as Yuugi growled, his impatience at this man's ignorance boiling over. "I will not," Yuugi began as he quickly reached forward and grabbed the guard's wrist, turning so his back was facing the guard and his arm was over his shoulder. "... Loose him," he continued as he reached his foot back, hooking it around the ankle of the guard. "... Because of your ignorance!" Yuugi shouted as he suddenly shifted his weight forward, the position he had put himself in allowing him to easily pull the guard's weight over his shoulder, tossing the guard onto his back on the floor. Yuugi had the sense of mind to release the guard's arm before he landed, preventing himself from dislocating the guard's shoulder, though he did severely twist his wrist.

Once the guard was on the floor Yuugi rushed for the doors, roughly shoving them open and running into the enclosure. Jou followed him, stopping long enough to kneel beside the guard and make sure he was all right. Though his face bore no shock at his friend's action, inside Jou was confused and surprised and slightly scared at the uncharacteristic violence Yuugi had displayed. It was so unlike Yuugi to physically lash out, preferring to hold his anger or displeasure inside until he was in the safety of his Yami's presence, where the pharaoh would then aid Yuugi with the release of his emotions.

Jou wrapped his arm beneath the guard's shoulders, helping the man stand as he tried to get his feet under him. The guard nodded his thanks absently, still in a state of mild shock at having been thrown unexpectedly and by a man nearly half his size. He shook his head, blinking his eyes as his senses returned.

"H-Hey! Wait! Get back here!" the guard shouted after Yuugi. He tried to pursue him, but was held back by a surprisingly strong force. He turned his head to look at Jou, his confusion quite evident. "What are you doing?"

"The righ' thing fur once," Jou said quietly. He kept his firm grip on the guard's arm, ensuring that he could not get away and interrupt Yuugi's attempt to save Yami. The guard's brows creased in agitation as he reached for the club on his belt. "Wha' are ya, dumb or sumthin'?" Jou asked sourly. "Are ya really gonna try an' stop the one person who can pu' an end ta this mess?"

The guard stared at Jou for a few moments before the raucous crowd once again drew his attention, his mind dismissing Yuugi in favor of pushing the huddled masses away from the rink. Jou let him go, content with the fact that he had bought Yuugi some time. His best friend's reaction to the obstacle that had stood in the form of a security guard between him and his Yami was all that Jou needed to see.

Regardless of his feelings, regardless if Yuugi had been correct in his assumption that Jou had merely confused jealousy for love, he saw who it was that Yuugi was devoted to. Who it was that Yuugi was willing to abandon his peaceful nature and lash out for at any threat that dared to reach towards what Yuugi so ardently claimed as his own.

Jou sighed as he took up a post by the doors, praying to whatever deity was out there that Yuugi would survive his choice.

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To be continued...


	4. Ablaze

Disclaimer: Plain and simple. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh

A/N: The revised chapter. Hope you like!

****

Blue Ice

__

By Ocean

Chapter Four: Ablaze

The enclosure was a veritable mass of chaos. Or, more specifically, a portion of the ice rink enclosure was a genuine mass of chaos.

Controlled chaos.

That was the only way to describe what had happened and what was now happening. Those few who remained alive in the ice rink enclosure were those few who had not been on the ice, but instead in the area surrounding it the moment the horror struck. The Shadows had not extended themselves beyond the boundaries of the ice, halting their advance and turning their anger inwards, back into the metaphorical enclosure created by the ice rink's walls. Yami had barely been able to salvage enough control to halt the Shadows' advance any further, using the wall that was already in place around the ice as his guide for the shield he had created to entrap the Shadows.

Yuugi flung himself into the enclosure, past the large glass doors, going unnoticed as the survivors of the Shadows' strike stared in awe at the cyclone that had appeared on the ice. Blue and violet danced their way along black currents of air, constantly in motion, continuously swirling and moving and rushing and howling with the fury of the heavens. The wind created by this movement attacked everyone in the enclosure, whipping hair and clothing violently around their occupants.

Yuugi collided with the wall that surrounded the rink, having to use it as a brace to pull himself along to the opening that would allow him to go out onto the ice. His eyes were squinted against the abrasive wind, watering with the shear force of air and stinging from its bite. His hair snapped along his face with the vigor of a whip, stinging his skin as it tried to divert him from his task. But Yuugi wasn't about to be deterred by such trivialities as discomfort or effort, the sporadic and agonizing pull on his link with the pharaoh driving his resolve to endure any torment necessary to reach him.

One of the survivors, an elderly woman who had just undergone the horrible experience of watching her grandchildren die, stood rigidly against the outside edge of the wall of the ice rink. Her hands gripped the wall as tightly as possible, partly out of fear, and partly out of effort to keep her standing against the abrasive wind that sought to knock her down. As she stared out onto the ice, she was suddenly brought out of her shock as Yuugi accidentally bumped into her as he pulled himself along the rink's edge. Her eyes widened as she watched the young man make his way ever closer to the opening in the wall and the evil that existed just beyond the barrier. The evil that had stolen her precious grandchildren. Her protective nature took hold as she reached out and grabbed Yuugi's shoulder with all her strength, pulling him away from the rink.

"Gracious, my child! Why are you trying to throw your life away by going near that thing?!" she asked, desperately trying to convince Yuugi to preserve the invaluable gift that was his life.

Yuugi turned irritated eyes to her, at first seeing her as nothing more than another obstacle that was keeping him from Yami. The concern of the woman's voice, however, was able to break through the urgency in his mind, alerting him to the fact that not everyone knew Yami, or would want to protect him to the extent that he did. He put his hand on top of the old woman's, gently removing the wrinkled appendage from his shoulder.

"I understand your concern," he said gently, though there was a finality in his voice that frightened the woman. "But you don't understand. My life _is_ in there. If I don't go, I'm as good as dead anyway."

"Foolish, foolish child," the woman said, tears streaming from the corners of her eyes as she clenched her hands to her breast and watched Yuugi reattach himself to the wall of the rink and continue to pull his away along. 

The howls were increasing in intensity. Yuugi paused in his effort to pull himself against the wind, furrowing his brows as he turned his head towards the ice and listened, trying to determine if the heart-wrenching screams were coming from Yami in his effort to regain control, or perhaps from one of the survivors finally coming to terms with what had happened, or-

Yuugi blinked his amazement as he lifted his head to the Shadows gyrating above the ice rink, astonishment draping his features as he focused all of his attention onto the turbulent mass of smoke. His mouth fell open as he realized that there was a pattern to the Shadows movements, a crazy sense to the seemingly random twists and turns and dips and swirls. They were searching, reaching, straining, almost panicky in their motion. 

Panicky. 

The Shadows were actually... panicking. They were _scared_.

And they were the ones making all the noise.

The Shadows continued their dance over the ice, obstructing the view of all the bodies contained within their chilly embrace. Yuugi searched desperately out over the ice for any sign of Yami, for the first time cursing the pharaoh's love of black clothing as it made him blend in almost seemingly with the Shadows. The silver luster of a belt, the flickering glimpse of a golden lock of hair, the vibrant glow of his luminescent eyes, anything that would help Yuugi determine that Yami was still alive, still reachable...

Still capable of being saved.

Yuugi jumped in his skin when he felt a large body run past him, the man flailing his arms wildly as he ran to the opening that would let him onto the ice. He heard some woman shout, "Kane! No!" as the man continued to run, ignoring the warning from his wife, the wind battling his hair, and the sudden turn of the Shadows as they moved to meet him at the rink's entrance.

The man growled as he reached the opening in the wall, hatred and grief in his eyes as his cheeks were stained red with his tears. He rose his fist and shook it in the direction of the ice, presumably too consumed with his sorrow to notice or care about the approaching Shadows. Yuugi turned his eyes to follow the direction of the fist, trying to determine what it was the man had seen that had enraged him into action.

"That bastard killed our daughter!" the man roared as he pointed to Yami's faint outline. The man was even more angered by Yami's posture, seeing his bent over form and hands clamped in his hair, eyes clenched and mouth open in a painful grimace as signs of remorse rather than desperation. Remorse that was far too late in coming. Remorse that would not bring his daughter back to life, nothing could, and the man found he desperately needed someone to blame. The only survivor on the ice that his daughter had been skating on just moments before was the perfect target.

Yuugi's scream caught in his throat, unable to alert the man to the utter futility of his actions. He did not turn away when the Shadows met the man at the rink's opening, made no sound of disgust or horror as the Shadows plunged themselves into the man's eyes and mouth, no sigh of sadness as the man dropped at the edge of the ice, his vacant eyes shedding their final tears as his soul was banished into the confines of the Shadows.

Yet another life, another soul that would latch on to Yami's conscious and spend eternity torturing his soul and threatening his sanity. Another burden to be added to the ever growing load on Yami's shoulders, pushing and encroaching and doing everything in its power to destroy the one that supported its oppressive weight. 

Yuugi couldn't help but consider these thoughts, couldn't help but realize that with that man's death, another grain of sand would try to tarnish the terrible and beautiful and vibrant spirit of the pharaoh. Of course, he felt sorrow for all who had perished, for those who witnessed the horror, and for those who would have to live on. But if he let his concern for these people consume him, he would be overwhelmed by feelings of guilt and remorse, lost within the darkest emotions of the human heart, and buried in a far off place that would not allow him to ever feel Yami's touch again.

Yuugi's resolve strengthened, and in this moment he found the courage to face the one force he had never had to directly encounter.

"Shadows!" he shouted, his anger and fear propelling his voice through the howls of the entity whose attention he desired. He straightened his posture after he spoke, narrowed his eyes and hardened his gaze as he prepared himself to face down the terrific force. He brought his hand to rest on the puzzle, curling his fingers around the cold, unforgiving surface, reminding himself that to get to Yami, he had to pass through the Shadows first... and survive.

Not a simple task by any measure.

Yuugi gritted his teeth as the Shadows' motion ceased a bit of its insanity, the hues of blue and violet slowing their ascent of the black smoke mountain that was ever climbing the make-shift walls Yami had created around the ice rink. Though now mostly solitary in motion, they pulsated in near hypnotic waves, reminiscent of an ocean's curl as the wind blows over its surface in a harsh caress. 

Yuugi took a firm step towards the rink, inching his way closer, bringing himself within the realm of the Shadows' awareness. He peered through the darkness that hovered over the ice again, finding that he needed constant reassurance that Yami indeed was hidden within the twisting, colliding, angry mass. Catching a glimpse of a golden bang, Yuugi once again addressed the Shadows, urgency on the edge of his voice.

"Shadows!" he called again, a nervous and jittery energy pooling itself in his stomach. Yuugi felt a warmness at his hip, faintly realizing that the puzzle had a soft, golden haze that appeared to permeate from between the miniscule cracks the numerous pieces created.

The waves of color shifted at Yuugi's voice, ceasing their wave-like motion, halting as if to consider the vague pull of a long lost memory. They almost seemed... confused. Lost. Flustered. Frustrated. Uneasy. Lacking of all the confidence, the intimidation, the authority and the grace one would expect to find when encountering the awesome force.

"_... calls us?_"

The sound was no more than a whisper in Yuugi's mind. The whisper of a thousand and one voices, raspy with age and disuse, raw with intensity and barely contained power. Yuugi had to force himself to stand strong against the intrusion in his mind, his natural instinct wanting to reel back and erect a steel wall around the intimacy that was being invaded. But he knew that he needed to speak to the Shadows, and that the only way to do that was to leave himself completely vulnerable to them, to allow them to communicate with him in the same, obtrusive manner in which they communicated with Yami.

"Me," Yuugi answered, his voice softer now that he had the Shadows attention, though no less forceful.

The blue shading that decorated the Shadows drew itself away from its violet brother, pulling itself into the semblance of a sphere. "_Not... Pharaoh who... Who calls?_" the Shadows repeated, their confusion more obvious to Yuugi now than it had been before.

"No, I'm not Pharaoh," Yuugi clarified as he took another step towards the body that now blocked the entrance onto the ice, having finally made his way to the opening once he caught the Shadows' attention. He paused a moment as the Shadows flared, the violet and blue streaks flashing in an utter brilliance that matched the fury of the pharaoh's glare. His fingers curled more tightly around the puzzle, unconsciously removing the golden artifact from his belt and holding it in front of his chest. "I'm Yuugi." A pause as the Shadows did not respond. "I solved the Sennen Puzzle."

This statement attracted the Shadows attention, giving Yuugi a distinction he had not held before, making him less than Pharaoh, but more than the average mortal. The Shadows, now finding someone they could communicate with, instantly turned their questions and queries to the mind that was completely open to them.

"_Where is he?_" they hissed. "_Won't... respond he won't... dark... lost within... Nowhere to be found..._" In an urgent attempt to get their point across, all color contained within the Shadows joined into one swirling, pulsating mass in front of Yuugi. "_Sudden passing, instant loss, confusing unsound not solid no base no reason where is he?!_"

Yuugi clenched his eyes and ground his teeth as the Shadows poured their anger and confusion and uncertainty and fear and worry into his mind all at once, not knowing how to separate their emotions, never having to do so in the past. They did not understand that Yuugi did not have Yami's capability to sort through the many voices that spoke at once, almost destroying the one being that could aid them in their desperate time of need.

Gripping the wall of the ice rink with such intensity as to turn his knuckles white, Yuugi heaved in a shuddering breath as he tried to recover from the Shadows' assault. Slowly, ever so slowly, his mind was able to sort through the jumbled voices and hear the message the Shadows were trying to send. They couldn't reach Yami either, their efforts just as much in vain as his own were. Yami's mind was lost, hidden, captured, restrained within the solitary void of whatever had influenced his breakdown. Yuugi chewed his bottom lip in nervousness as he began to understand how the Shadows had broken free.

"What happened?" Yuugi asked, attempting to focus the Shadows thoughts, solidify their voice so they could help him determine how to find Yami. The Shadows either did not understand or were unwilling to forgo their rage for they did not answer, only repeated their urgent question, demanding to know where the Pharaoh was hidden. 

Yuugi took another step closer to the ice, now standing in the opening of the wall, just behind the man the Shadows had killed moments before. He had to restrain himself from reaching forward for his aibou to pull him from the turbulent darkness, knowing that the Shadows would not allow such an intrusion into themselves without invitation. The hues of the Shadows rushed to meet Yuugi, their confusion and uncertainty fueling their erratic actions, not allowing them to reason that Yuugi, being the Chosen One, could aid them in their search. That he _would_ aid them, was as lost and distraught as they were with Yami's sudden disappearance. They hovered on the brink of realization, straining, hunting, clawing, never quite grasping.

"I can see him," Yuugi told the Shadows as he peered through the black fog on the ice. "Can you not see him? Can you not sense he's on the ice, that you are the ones who are entrapping him in this abysmal prison?"

The Shadows hesitated, their color pulsing brightly as they listened to the Chosen One, as they tried to clear the confusion that was their thoughts and work with him. The black smoke shifted, parting as a crowd will for a formal precession, various streams of clarity revealing snippets of horrifying images on the ice. Bodies covered the once bluish haze of the solid surface, tainting its purity with the stench of death and the adhesive kiss of blood. 

Keeping his mind focused, Yuugi pointedly ignored the bodies being revealed to him on the ice, knowing that he would have to be the one to alert the Shadows to Yami's presence. 

"There!" Yuugi shouted, pointing to the only sign of life on the ice. The Shadows immediately halted, freezing themselves in place, consolidating their actions as they revealed to Yuugi the heaving form of Yami. Yuugi's heart lurched at the sight, the pain Yami was enduring obvious to him, the gleam of his skin as sweat glittered his skin illuminating him in an other worldly sheen.

Without thinking, without caring, Yuugi ran onto the ice, ignoring the bodies the Shadows pulled from his path, ignoring the fact that his feet did not slip on the sleek surface of frozen water, not noticing that the Shadows had carelessly flung the ring of bodies that surrounded Yami to the opposite end of the ice without care or regard as to the disrespectfulness of their actions.

Yuugi had to force himself not to leap into Yami's arms and squeeze the breath out of him, to pin him down and nuzzle his cheek and vow to never, ever let him go, or leave his side, or ever part from him in any manner ever again. He grit his teeth as he watched Yami struggle against whatever demon it was that was attacking him, cursed in his native tongue at whatever enemy had chosen to try and exact its vengeance. His eyes roved over Yami's form quickly, trying to identify anything that might be out of place, anything that might give him a clue on how to bring his love back from the brink of destruction.

Feeling a sudden chill, Yuugi hesitantly turned his attention away from Yami and to the Shadows, his eyes widening as, hidden within a coil of blue and violet smoke, the object the Shadows were holding was dropped carefully into his hand. Yuugi blinked slowly as he examined the item, noting that the liquid contained in the syringe had been completely dispelled, the injector having been plunged fully within the cylinder of the syringe.

"You recognize this?" Yuugi asked the Shadows, holding the syringe in front of him as though he were showing it to a child. "You've seen this before?"

"_Hurt,_" the Shadows growled, the depth of their blackness falling even further from the light. They howled in rage, entwining themselves around the bodies of the two who had injured the Pharaoh, lifting them high off the ice, and shredding them in their anger.

Yuugi closed his eyes at the image, understanding that the Shadows had destroyed the bodies of those who had injected the drug into Yami. He felt his stomach churn as the sound of something solid hitting the ice reached his ears, the final cry of those who were wronged being silenced in the thick and suffocating embrace of the Shadows. Clenching his hand around the syringe, Yuugi opened his now blazing, hardened eyes.

"We can't wait," he whispered to himself as he watched Yami stumble to his knees, twin tears caressing his cheeks as he released a cry that almost rang of defeat, so close to sounding like a surrender that tears began to form in Yuugi's eyes. Yami was hurting so much, his body shaking with such force that Yuugi feared he would tear himself apart. "If we wait, I'll loose him. No. No, I _won't_ loose him. I won't!"

"Shadows! You must listen to me! You must purge the drug from his system! Please, you have to!" Yuugi begged the Shadows, his own body shivering with the force of his fear and urgency. 

The Shadows considered his plea, focusing their random thoughts on Yuugi, using him as their anchor against the chaos in their mind. "_... How do we do this?_" they asked quietly, waiting, anxiously waiting for instructions. In their moment of freedom they had discovered their need for the Pharaoh's control, their dependency on him to keep their thoughts in order, to keep them whole and sane and in control of their actions.

They were beginning to understand that Pharaoh did not control them because he wished to, but because he _had_ to in order to keep them alive. At the rate with which they were consuming their energy, the rate of the unraveling of their sanity, they would loose all sense of their consciousness, cease to be sentient, and would once again be at the mercy of any who sought to control them.

Yuugi tossed the syringe back into the swirling mass of color that was the Shadows. "You must remove this substance from his bloodstream. From every cell in his body. All of it. There is no other way."

The Shadows coiled around the syringe, a blue arm of smoke extending its way into the cylinder, detecting small traces of the drug that clung to the syringe, invisible as a fingerprint on glass. Instantly they new its smell, its feel, its flavor and texture, instantly knew the chemical that threatened their very existence. But there was a problem.

"_How should it be?_"

Without hesitation Yuugi knelt to the ice, beside the kneeling and flailing form of Yami, and drew his hand along the blade of one of his skates, slicing deep into the soft flesh of his palm. He did not flinch as the cold blade of steel bit into his hand hungrily, parting his skin and drawing forth the life blood that was welled beneath. 

Yuugi stood, raising his hand in front of him, staring at the crimson liquid that so reminded him of his Yami's exquisite, pulsating, living eyes as it began to paint his hand in a long, single stroke of an artist's brush. He turned back to the colorful sphere that he had designated as the Shadows and raised his palm, the cut facing forward for all to bear witness to.

"Like this."

The Shadows, in turn, did not hesitate as they reached for Yuugi's hand, reached for the cut and plunged themselves into the blood that was slowly leaking from the abrasion. Yuugi did wince at this, pain shooting from his hand and up his arm as the Shadows memorized everything that made Yuugi a distinct and unique individual. By this one act, Yuugi had handed the Shadows all the knowledge they would ever need about the human race, everything that made a mortal mortal, every method that could be used to destroy them. 

But he didn't care. With this knowledge, the Shadows would be able to save Yami. That was the only thought that went through his mind as the Shadows pulled themselves from his hand and began to circle the defeated form of the pharaoh. The blackness tore itself from the edges of the ice, molding itself around the blue and violet hues that comprised its consciousness, gathering the energy needed for the task ahead.

"_Hold him._"

Yuugi hesitated a moment, only for the reason that if the Shadows wanted him to restrain Yami, then what they were about to do was going to be excruciatingly painful. Clenching his hands momentarily, Yuugi strode forward to Yami's back, leaning down and putting his full weight on Yami, encircling his shoulders with his arms and resting his head against the back of his neck.

"I'm ready," he whispered.

No sooner had he uttered the words the Shadows plunged themselves down Yami's throat, all evidence of their existence disappearing completely as they slammed Yami's body back into Yuugi, nearly knocking them both onto the ice. Yami released a feral scream as he thrashed against Yuugi's protective embrace, unable to free his arms from the constricting hold as Yuugi fought to keep him contained. Yami's 'fight-or-flight' instinct was just as affected by the drug as his mind had been, misfiring as he felt both an insane urge to lash out and a near maddening desire to flee, to run, to hide, to curl himself into a shadowed corner and conceal his image from any who might seek it.

Yuugi squeezed Yami for all his worth, surprising himself that he was able to somewhat contain Yami's struggles, the Pharaoh having always been remarkably strong and agile, as though he were a puma in human form. He cursed to himself at one point when Yami threw his weight backwards, knocking Yuugi off balance, consequently forcing him to loosen his grip, and then lurched forward in a buy for freedom. Yuugi was able to recover and fling himself at Yami's legs, pulling them from beneath him with the aid of the skates on his feet and climbing onto his back, straddling Yami's waist and gripping his wrists painfully tight and pinning him fully on the ice. Yuugi buried his face in Yami's hair, loosing his battle with his emotions as he choked on a sob and prayed to every deity he knew of for Yami's torment to end as soon as possible.

Yami continued to struggle, to curse, to shake and shiver and thrash, his face pressed into the hard and biting surface of the ice as the Shadows permeated the very core of his being, seeking out the elusive drug that sought to hide as it anonymously influenced Yami's actions. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity to Yuugi, Yami's motions began to still, the frantic nature of his struggles subduing into a more quiet writhing, that of one who is uncomfortable and doesn't know what to do with themselves to relieve their discomfort. 

Yuugi loosened his grip on Yami's wrists, rubbing his thumb lightly over what would surely be bruised skin in the morning, trying to offer what little comfort and reassurance he could. He moved his lips to Yami's ear, soothing the continuous litany of strained moans and confused whimpers with soft words and even softer breathes against his ear. Yami continued to slowly toss his head from side to side, trying to turn away from the pain and confusion, trying to turn towards the smooth and even road of sanity that was slowly being paved for him.

Suddenly Yami's body arched off the ice until he was on all fours, Yuugi barely being able to balance himself on his back. Yami started coughing violently, eventually vomiting from the shear force of the action. The drug that had been in Yami's body was dispelled in this manner, and Yami fell forward onto his forearms, barely able to support both his weight and Yuugi's. Yuugi put a hand to Yami's forehead and thread his fingers back through his hair, slick and matted with sweat, trying to stimulate another sensation for Yami to focus on other than his pain. Yami's frame shuddered occasionally and his breath came in ragged gasps, the only signs that Yami was alive as he made no motion to acknowledge Yuugi.

The Shadows forced Yami to raise his head one last time, his eyes glowing with his inherent power, the puzzle around Yuugi's waist gleaming as it aided the Shadows in their final act of the day.

"_Smx,_" Yami said, his voice laced with that of the Shadows, low, strained, all encompassing.

The puzzle's light intensified into a blinding flash that lasted but a moment, as though it had taken a snapshot of the horror and destruction the Shadows had caused, so it could remember exactly why they needed to be kept in their prison.

Yuugi, however, was not allowed to forget. He was unaffected by the Shadows spell, his memory remaining untouched by the puzzle as his attention was focused on his Yami, his body hunching forward as he fell unconscious. Yuugi caught him before he fell and cradled the limp body to his chest, holding him close, balancing Yami's head on his lap as he brushed his fingers across his eyes and cheeks and silksoft lips that were lax and parted. His hands continued their caress along Yami's long and slender arms, sliding beneath the skintight shirt to tickle the skin of Yami's chest and stomach, to coax it into remembering his touch, to not forget what it was that Yami needed to return to.

He ignored the screams as those who had initially survived the Shadows' outburst were once again violated, waking from the spell that removed all memory of Yami and Yuugi and the Shadows' presence, removed from them the memory of their loved one's death, leaving them to experience the pain for the first time all over again.

Yuugi rocked Yami gently, not hearing the frantic calls or the pounding footsteps as people rushed onto the ice to hold their love's broken and empty body in a similar fashion that he held Yami. He was dismissed as nothing more than another distraught victim of the horrible, terrible, unexplainable event that had taken place.

His Yami was okay. 

The Shadows had saved him.

His Yami was okay.

Absolutely _nothing else_ mattered.

Yami was okay.

And now, so was Yuugi.

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__

To be continued...

Smx - Forget


	5. Chill's

Disclaimer: Plain and simple. I do not own Yu Gi Oh.

A/N: .... I updated? I updated! Yayness! Welcome to the two last chapters of Blue Ice. I have thoroughly enjoyed writing this story, and I thank all of you who have supported me along the way. And now that this story is over, I can focus my attention back on Fly Away Home and the next story I will be writing, which doesn't have a name yet, but the whole thing is planned out. So, without further ado, enjoy!

I would also like to take this time to apologize for the crapiness of the last chapter. It was rough around the edges, had no flow at all, and left the reader, including myself, going 'Huh?' at the end. I revised it. I simply cannot leave something that bad alone. Hopefully the revision will go over well, since I merely needed to work on the consistency of ideas, not the ideas themselves.

A special thank you to everyone who reviewed. Each and every one was appreciated, and helped me to finish this story. You guys rock!

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Blue Ice

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By Ocean

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Chapter Five: Chill's

Though it was late at night, a time when shadows and darkness once again appear in the world and take their claim of it, the calm, soothing light of the moon filtered into the room. The light served to dampen the effects of the night, giving ease to the body that lay in bed. 

Yuugi griped the sheets that were wrapped around his shoulders in a half-hazard array, giving evidence to the restlessness of his sleep. He groaned lightly, a soft sound full of pain and irritation. His eyes clenched shut briefly before snapping open, his body jerking to a sitting position, tense and rigid as his breath came in short, quick gasps. He winced as pain ebbed in his hand, reminding him vividly of the extreme measures it had taken to rescue Yami from the black void of obscurity only hours before.

Taking a deep breath to calm the momentary anxiety within him, Yuugi brought his knees up to his chest and rested his head gingerly on his hands. He did not need to open his eyes or reach to his side to know that Yami was not in the bed with him, the slight, yet demanding ache he felt every time he and his aibou were parted protesting loudly because of the separation. 

Though many times a blessing, memories were often hell. Even though the time that had passed since the Shadows escape and Yami's loss of control was trivial, Yuugi had hoped that the image would fade. That the image of the proud and arrogant and regal and beautiful and broken pharaoh would magically disappear and vacate the recesses of his memory with nothing more than a passing thought. 

The encroaching presence of night did nothing to aid Yuugi's plight, serving, as it seemed, only to help the memory of the broken man remain as bright and clear as a shimmering diamond. He ran a hand through his hair, causing a small shiver to run down the back of his neck as he tried to calm the small quiver that caused his bottom lip to tremble. It had hurt to see his Yami suffering so, had pained him to see such violent emotion from a man who rarely let his feelings bleed from beneath the surface of the passive mask he wore. It frightened him to know that there was absolutely nothing he could do to ease the pain.

Physically, Yami had recovered quickly from his ordeal, waking from his unconscious state barely half an hour after the Shadows had expelled the drug from his system. With Jou's aid Yuugi had been able to partly drag, partly carry Yami's lax body from the ice and into the somewhat secluded area of the lockers. Away from the prying eyes of medical personnel and security guards and the franticness of the massacre on the ice. He had cradled Yami close to him, ignoring Jou's inquires as to what exactly had happened, why he had a cut on his hand, and why Yami was unconscious.

Yuugi straightened his legs and swung them over the edge of his bed, pulling the sheets from his body, recognizing that he would not be sleeping again any time soon. He folded his hands in his lap and hung his head between his knees, reluctantly letting his thoughts continue on their path. 

Yami finally had opened his eyes, blinking slowly against the blaring light of the ice rink, clucking his tongue against the roof of his mouth as awareness finally sought him out. Turning his head to the side, his eyes had caught sight of Yuugi's own, freezing in place at the vision. Yuugi's eyes still burned with the passion and fury of his emotions, violet and purple swirling in unison, the faintest hints of black highlighting their glory. They watched him with such an excruciating intensity and concern as to drive all thought from Yami's mind. He was unaccustomed to such scrutiny, Yuugi being the only one to ever keep his gaze for any discernable length of time, without fear or intimidation or judgement. And yet...

Yami's mouth had worked to say something, had opened so his breath could pass over his tongue and form words, but no sound ever came as his eyes glazed over in a haze of quiet defeat and he averted his eyes from Yuugi's addictive gaze. Yuugi's lips had pulled back into a grimace as he recognized this action, knowing that Yami had pulled himself completely within his shell. He also knew that there was no way to reach him until the pharaoh decided he wanted to be reached.

The bed creaked as Yuugi shifted his weight idly, uncertain as to what he should be doing, other than giving an attempt at sleep that was bound to be fruitless. A twinge of annoyance pranced its way through him. After everything that had happened that day, after the intense and lust filled actions of the night before, and Yami had _still_ really felt the desire to return to the ice rink again. To leave him behind and face his problems on his own, to shut him out and keep his distance, all the while drawing Yuugi into his mysterious and dangerous and sensual allure.

A warm and soothing thought brushed its way over Yuugi's mind and smothered the irritated feelings with its commanding presence, much the way a hand will rub along the arm of a loved one to soothe the person's fears. Yuugi couldn't help the tug at the corner of his lips, the gentle presence of Yami's mind always able to protect him from the darkness of his own thoughts.

//I am downstairs, aibou.//

Yuugi pursed his lips at this information, surprised that Yami was so close, and yet the pull on their bond was so strong. He stood from his bed and slowly made his way to the top of the stairs, hesitating a moment before descending. He furrowed his brows at the uncertainty within him, not being able to recall a time when he was ever nervous to see Yami. He shook it off to the stresses of the day, his worry melting away as the excitement that always fluttered in the pit of his stomach when he was going to be alone with Yami appeared.

Treading quietly along the carpet, his bare feet being tickled by the soft fibers of the blandly colored padding that paved his way, Yuugi walked without pause to the family room. Yami sat just on the other side of the coffee table on the floor, his knees bent to his forehead, his arms wrapped tightly around his legs, his soft long tresses falling protectively over the fabric that covered his arms. He was perfectly still, rigid... a stunning symbol of the resilient strength and foreboding power and stoic grace and raw beauty of his once proud and ruling nation.

Yuugi knelt beside him, his fingertips brushing lightly against Yami's temple, followed shortly by a soft and lingering kiss of greeting to the smooth skin. Yami didn't move to acknowledge the touch, instead choosing to extend his greeting through a mental caress that sent electric shivers skittering over Yuugi's skin. Yuugi settled himself next to Yami, adopting a similar position, though leaving his head aloft so he could watch the darkly silhouetted form of his aibou.

They sat in silence for a long while, the still of the night dancing around them, trying to entice them back into its embrace, to surrender their thoughts and let sleep overcome them. Yuugi fought back the urge to question Yami, to coax him from his shell and talk about his fears and concerns, his anger and passion, his hesitations and convictions. But he had learned, through no great amount of trial and error that, when given enough time, when allowed to reflect in the silent and comforting presence of his other, Yami would, on occasion, talk.

As he waited for this blessed event to come, Yuugi tilted his hand so he could play with the bandage that concealed the deep abrasion that marred his skin. What once was white now was stained with a bold and glaring red hue, the blood having been attracted to the soft fabric of the bandage and seeping out of the wound. The tremble of his fingers against the binding ceased as long and slim and nimble fingers, colored once by the heat of the sun, faded only slightly with the passage of time, questionably curled around his injured palm and pulled it in front of the pharaoh's softened gaze.

Yuugi's eyes softened as he watched Yami examine his palm, the crimson eyes lightened by an intense longing that shined just beneath the surface of complacent concern. The mask did its best to hide and contain the turbulent emotions within the slender frame. Yami soon become frustrated by the bandage, angered by its need to announce to the world that Yuugi was injured, quickly removing it and tossing the bloodstained fabric carelessly to the floor. He blinked once, slowly, languidly, very much cat-like, when he noticed that the wound had already begun to heal itself.

Yuugi was surprised by this also and leaned forward so he could see his hand better in the dark. He snorted lightly after a moment, a slight irritation at the fact that the cut still hurt as though it had been freshly made. He half expected a sense of amusement to filter through his link with the pharaoh and was unprepared for the apology he recieved instead.

"What for?" Yuugi asked quietly, leaning against Yami's firm, long, curvaceous legs, trying to get him to grace him with those bewitching eyes of his. Yuugi would happily look into those eyes for eternity, not once feeling the need to look away at the world around him, a world he would no longer hold interest for.

Yami did not answer the soft inquiry, brushing his thumb lightly over the cut on Yuugi's hand before placing it against his lips and closing his eyes, softly kissing along the length of the wound. Yuugi sighed quietly as Yami's lips tickled his sensitive flesh, feeling himself willingly fall into the sensuality that pooled off of Yami's every move.

"S-rwi pey-f Ahw." The words trickled past Yami's lips, his breath heating the flesh of Yuugi's palm as he uttered the plea that would free Yuugi from his discomfort. Yuugi's brows furrowed at the hushed and cursory whisper, his ears barely able to hear the slight tremble that was never present in the pharaoh's voice.

"Yami?" Yuugi asked, the undercurrent of his tone carrying with it the concern he possessed for his other. When Yami did not respond, only nuzzled his cheek into Yuugi's now healed palm, he tried again, his tone a bit more forceful. //Yami?//

Yami's eyes opened slightly and looked dazedly in front of him as he mentally heard Yuugi's inquiry. His ears had long ago shut themselves from the nuances of the world so he could better seclude and berate himself.

Yuugi narrowed his eyes, understanding seeping its way into his soul, realizing what it was that Yami was struggling with. "It wasn't your fault."

Yami gave a disagreeing grunt as his reply.

"Don't do this," Yuugi said harshly, far more harshly than he had intended. He too was still affected by the events of the day. The emotions of overwhelming fear and anxiety and his near drowning in relief when the situation had been resolved caused his emotions to be a whirlwind of confusions that had no hope of settling.

Yami finally turned his eyes to Yuugi, one eyebrow lightly arched at the reprimanding tone of Yuugi's voice. He mentally flinched at the harshness, then berated himself for this reaction as well. He couldn't allow himself this loss of control, couldn't abandon the restraint he had placed upon himself and the Shadows, couldn't risk loosing Yuugi again. He nearly had. He very nearly had lost the only one, the only _thing_ that mattered to him in the whole of existence. 

All because for one instant, a single moment, he had lost control.

Yuugi tried to jerk his hand away from Yami's grip, growling low and deep in his throat when the spirit's hand refused to let him pull away. Yuugi could sense the irritation in Yami, the dark undercurrents of barely suppressed loathing swirling and pulsing off of him in waves. Emotions that needed to be released, emotions that Yuugi had to force Yami to deal with before he buried them in his already overflowing vault. He could sense that Yami was about to implode, the strain he placed upon himself great enough to collapse the majestic Parthenon. 

Yuugi looked at Yami from the corner of his eye, observing the coiled muscles, the straining body that nearly trembled with its efforts to keep everything contained inside. He knew of a way to release Yami's tensions, a way to slip beneath his defenses and coax those dark and turbulent passions away from the wondrous soul they threatened so fervently. He was in need of some release himself.

Yuugi turned his head so he could look at Yami directly, ensuring that the spirit would not miss the challenge in his eyes. Yami's eyes narrowed fractionally as he bristled, his fingers curling more forcefully around Yuugi's hand, trapping the not-so-delicate limb in his domineering embrace. Yuugi felt a sense of triumph as he watched Yami's eyes darken, knowing that the pharaoh would react to being so openly challenged. This trait was reminiscent of his past life, a reason for his harsh and quick punishment of all who threatened Yuugi, and would prove invaluable for what Yuugi wanted to do.

Yami straightened his back, pulling his chest away from his knees, keeping his unwavering gaze locked on Yuugi. So his aibou wanted to test him, did he? It had happened before, and Yami was certainly in the mood to assert his dominance... his control. Anything to keep his mind away from the self loathing thoughts that had threatened to consume him before Yuugi had descended the stairs. It would afford him the time needed to bury those thoughts in a far off place, in a dark hole where they had no hope of escape or possibility of hurting Yuugi.

"Be sure you're up for this," Yuugi whispered, his voice soft, his words vibrating with hidden arousal, his closeness to the tightly curled, long and svelte body that radiated heat and promise of intense intimacy sharpening his awareness of the man beside him.

Yami smoothed his legs out in front of him, his head and gaze remaining perfectly still as he folded himself in front of Yuugi, never releasing his hand. He pulled suddenly on the limb, forcing Yuugi to fall towards him and into his lap, his legs sprawled on either side of Yami's waist. Yami tilted his head back at the close proximity, raising his face in a regal manner so he could look down on Yuugi, whose eyes were now level with his mouth.

Yuugi's eyes widened in surprise as Yami pulled him harshly into his lap, then narrowed as his lips pulled back from his teeth and a low snarl was barely repressed in his throat. He refused to look Yami in the eye, knowing the superior glint that he would find would do nothing more than incite him further. He felt his other's amusement as he continued to stare at Yami's mouth, unwittingly noticing how tempting those soft and smirking lips were. He placed his free hand on Yami's chest, using it as leverage to try and pull himself away from Yami's titillating embrace.

Yami grunted at the force of Yuugi's struggles, finding himself falling forward in his effort to restrain Yuugi. Yami fell on top of him as Yuugi's pull had resulted in him falling onto his back. Yuugi immediately began to squirm, taking advantage of Yami's surprise to turn on his stomach and try to crawl out from beneath the larger body. Yami growled lightly as he struggled with Yuugi, resulting in the two of them wrestling for the better part of ten minutes.

Ragged breaths and muttered grunts of effort penetrated the night air as the two bodies entwined in their struggle for dominance, arms and legs circling around each other as they tried to force the other into submission. Though Yami was infinitely stronger than Yuugi he restrained himself from using that strength, instead matching Yuugi's to ensure that he would not injure him. Yuugi knew this, and let frustration march down their link, annoyed that Yami was not exerting his control. That was the whole point of his struggles, his sole reason for initiating this fight between them. 

//Damn it!// Yami cursed absently at the difficulty he was having at pinning Yuugi to the floor. His aibou's persistent twisting and turning and surprisingly limber movements were preventing him from acquiring the grip needed to still him. He missed as Yuugi, who was currently hunched over on his knees, turned his head and looked at him, a quiet resolution settling on his features. He missed the fact that Yuugi's resistance was fading, missed that his opponent no longer struggled, missed that he was being driven by the pain and fear and confusion that had resulted from his loss of control. For the moment, he was no longer rough-housing with Yuugi, but back on the ice, facing down the utter helplessness he had suffered.

Yuugi winced slightly as Yami grabbed his shoulders and twisted him around, pushing him roughly into the carpet as he moved to sit on his stomach, legs sprawled on either side of him. He gulped down a breath of air as he looked into Yami's eyes, those beautiful eyes that were distant and frighteningly clear as Yami fought his inner battle. Yuugi tried to raise his hand to Yami's cheek, to run his fingers over the smooth skin, but in his state of mind Yami immediately seized his wrist and pinned it above his head, a predatory growl warning Yuugi to remain absolutely still. Yuugi complied without hesitation.

Several moments passed as Yami kept Yuugi pinned beneath him on the floor, panting as his body trembled, his eyes slipping shut as he tried to bottle the emotions within him. But it was too late for that, Yuugi's distraction having allowed Yami's inner demons to challenge him and force Yami to face them in return. Yuugi waited patiently, unsure how Yami was going to be able to handle himself, ready should his pharaoh need him, to guide him through emotions he did not want to encounter. He kept his eyes on Yami's face, ignoring the slight tingle in his hand that resulted from the force of Yami's grip, focusing instead on the gorgeous man who hovered above him by a thread.

Yami leaned forward suddenly, burying his face in Yuugi's neck, releasing a deep and heart-wrenching sound that coming from anyone else would have been considered a sob. He loosened his grip on Yuugi's wrist, pushing his fingers along Yuugi's palm until he was able to entwine their fingers together, gripping tightly as though Yuugi were his lifeline. His other hand fell to Yuugi's chest, slipping down along its width until it was holding on to its side. The rest of his body remained still, afraid to move from its momentary haven.

Yuugi turned his head to the side, pushing against Yami's cheek in an affectionate rub as he rose his free hand to Yami's neck, letting his fingertips walk softly along the strong and rapid pulse. He bit his lower lip at Yami's strangled cry, knowing that it was a release, not a call for help, and feeling a pride swell within his chest. Yami had confronted his demons. And he had won.

Yuugi allowed himself to be lulled into a light doze as Yami's lean and flowing body remained motionless over him, enticing him to no end as the heat of the pharaoh seeped into his skin and tickled his senses, the weight of the body all at once comforting and supporting and protecting and delicious and close... so very close. Right where it should be. He knew Yami was still awake, the gentle nudge on their link when the spirit succumbed to sleep never appearing, and he did not question Yami's choice to remain motionless on top of him.

"Mmm..." Yuugi moaned softly, sleep tugging at his voice, though the much stronger pull of lust made its presence known. "You make a nice blanket."

For several moments Yami did not respond, and Yuugi was content to stay laying beneath him.

//I have had more comfortable beds.//

Yuugi could not fight the chuckle that bubbled up from his stomach, the tensions of the day melting away as he playfully swatted Yami's shoulder. He could feel the pharaoh smirk against his neck at the action, then sigh wistfully as he settled his body more fully on top of him.

~}~{~}~}~{~}~}~{~}~}~{~}~}~{~}~}~{~}~}~{~}~}~{~}~}~{~}~}~{~}~}~{~}~

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To be concluded...

Translation:

S-rwi pey-f Ahw - Remove his pain


	6. Incandescence

Disclaimer: Plain and simple. I do not own Yu Gi Oh.

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WARNING: Heavy lime to follow. Meaning sexual innuendoes and long, drawn out foreplay. But no graphic sex. That will be hosted on another site once I get around to writing it. I've done my part by warning you. Now go and have fun, wherever you may find it**.**

Blue Ice

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By Ocean

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Chapter Six: Incandescence

Yami finally relinquished his hold of Yuugi's hand, slipping his fingers down the underside of his arms fetchingly before bringing both of his arms up to frame Yuugi's head on the carpet. He kept his face pressed firmly against Yuugi's neck, knowing full well that his slow and even breathes were the cause of the many and fluttering shivers that were exciting Yuugi's skin. Enjoying the peace and tranquility of the moment, Yami slowly tilted his head so that his face was now pressed against Yuugi's ear, the lethargic yet pointed nuzzle causing Yuugi to moan lightly in pleasure.

Finding his hands to be far too idle, Yuugi allowed his fingers to walk their way along Yami's arms, around the curve of his shoulders, down his sleek torso, and wrap themselves gently around the back of the thighs that were fastened against his hips. He proceeded to knead the firm muscles beneath the flimsy cotton pants as Yami continued his slow nuzzle against his neck and face, lips brushing against his warming skin, never giving any more than the grace of their soft touch.

Yami pressed his body firmly against Yuugi's and rocked forward, humming as he did so, in effect extending the nuzzle of Yuugi's neck to include his entire body. A low groan was his reward, as was the momentary possessive grip that assaulted his thighs as Yuugi's fingers clenched while he held in his mounting desire. Yami tilted his head again, his wrists curling so he could lightly play with Yuugi's soft hair, brushing his parted lips against Yuugi's temple.

Yuugi relaxed his fingers after releasing a deep breath and let them explore Yami's legs again, thoroughly enjoying the warmth of the skin that leaked out from beneath the cottony fabric. He was loosing himself, falling and sinking and urging himself towards the comfort of the body above him and the pleasant feelings of the lips and nose and hair and breath that continued to tease and stimulate his neck. This feeling was wonderful, this since of security unimaginable, the heat of desire welcomed as Yami altered his routine, pulling his face high enough so he could press his lips against Yuugi's forehead, eyelids, and the tip of his nose.

Fingers continued to curl in silksoft tresses and skim their away along taught athletic muscles as Yami opened his eyes and looked at Yuugi, their crisp and piercing gaze softened with the inner glow of contentment. He arched an eyebrow in silent question to the smile on Yuugi's face, not full, but heartfelt and painted with amusement and pleasure. Bedroom eyes were held half open in arousal and bliss, and looking into them one would think that Yuugi had discovered all the secretes of the universe.

"Just you," Yuugi whispered in response to Yami's question, his voice laced with sincerity. He brought one of his hands up to brush a rebellious golden strand of hair away from Yami's eyes so he could see them better, his fingertip barely brushing against Yami's ear and causing it to vibrate slightly. "Just... you."

Yami blinked slowly, his eyes a slightly darker shade of crimson than they had been before Yuugi spoke. The faintest hint of a smile tugged at his lips, and he leaned down, rubbing his nose against Yuugi's, then lowering further still until their lips were brushing together. He kept his eyes locked on Yuugi's, the truthfulness of his next words never having room for question as his fingers continued to curl sable tresses amongst themselves.

//Just you too.//

The voice in his mind was just as soft as the kiss placed against his lips, and Yuugi sighed happily as Yami finally graced him with his kiss again. Soft and slow, never probing, just a prolonged effort to show the other the tenderness and depth of love they felt for each other.

After a short while Yuugi parted his lips slightly, enjoying the slowness of his Yami's kiss, but needing to deepen the experience enough to satisfy the throb that was enveloping his body. Yami immediately followed the lead, his kiss unaffected as he parted his lips and continued to move them against Yuugi's in an extremely flirtatious and seductive manner.

The hand that had remained on Yami's thigh now traced its way over to his stomach, tugging on the fabric of his shirt lightly before beginning to fumble teasingly with the buttons. One by one, the buttons holding the garment together were removed from their holes and it wasn't long before Yuugi had free access to Yami's chest. He curled his fingers against the tightly drawn skin and delighted in the shivers that resulted from the light caress.

Yami squeezed his legs strategically against Yuugi's hips, causing his aibou to arch ever so slightly against him and moan just so into the kiss, a sound that Yami gladly swallowed. He slid his legs down the length of Yuugi's, keeping the contact hard and rough and continual until his lower body was in complete contact with Yuugi's own. He kept his chest elevated enough so as not to impede the perusal of his skin by Yuugi's hand, to encourage him to continue his delicious exploration and stimulation. 

Their actions continued to remain slow and sensual, the heat and motivation for their movements stemming from the painfully erotic kiss that had yet to deepen beyond parted lips. Yami kept his fingers in Yuugi's hair, knowing that their lazy curling of the silken strands was only heightening Yuugi's need and desire to be touched. His body remained still against Yuugi's, relaxed and flowing, constant and directing as the lack of movement ensured that Yuugi's entire focus would be on their kiss.

Though what little of Yuugi's mind that had not been completely seduced by Yami's kiss was amused with the teasing playfulness of his love's actions, the rest of him did not see the humor of having those strong and enchanting hands be so close and yet not touching him. Unwilling to pull his hand away from Yami's chest, Yuugi was able to instruct his other hand to encircle one of the hands in his hair, guiding the limb down to his own shirt and demanding that it begin to unbutton the garment that was keeping them from fully experiencing the feel of each other. 

Yami sighed wistfully into the kiss, as though he were succumbing to some great and unreasonable request and doing Yuugi a great favor by unbuttoning his shirt. Yuugi let a small giggle pass his lips, his joy bubbling over as Yami added a humorous tone to their increasingly amorous encounter. Yami seemingly ignored the merriment of the moment, keeping the pressure of his lips light and soft and barely satisfying as he let the tip of his tongue join in the festivities, sweet and velvety and bold and daring. It held every confidence of the man it was attached to.

This added depth of intimacy, along with the fingers that were staking their claim on his chest and shoulders and neck and stomach, left Yuugi feeling fuzzy and tingly and warm and lightheaded and anxious and extremely mischievous. He began tilting his head from side to side, challenging Yami to follow the moving target of his mouth and maintain the kiss. Yami was intrigued by this game, deepening the kiss as his tongue slipped between pliant lips and caressed their softness and silky sweetness whenever he caught up with Yuugi's movement. 

Yuugi brought his own tongue forward, pointedly guiding Yami's tongue out of his mouth before deftly tilting his head to the side again. Yami's body tightened as Yuugi continuously denied him his flavor, amusement filtering through their link each time Yuugi tried to suppress his laughter. Nimble fingers brushed along the sides of Yami's torso and skimmed their way over the taught muscles of his back, the coolness of Yuugi's hands heightening Yami's sensitivity as it contrasted with the heat caught by the fabric of his shirt.

The hand that was still entrenched in his hair alerted Yuugi to Yami's increasing arousal, heeding him to the fact that he had very little time left to play until Yami took full and absolute control of their encounter. He guided his hands down along Yami's spine, the skin quivering beneath his feathery touch, Yami's efforts to reclaim his mouth aggressively increasing. Yuugi pushed his fingers beneath the flimsy rim of Yami's non-too-concealing pants, snapping the elastic, crooning as Yami abandoned his continuous effort to claim his mouth long enough to nip his neck in retaliation.

Yuugi tried to focus his attention on his task, and not on the hand that was snaking its way up his chest and neck to come to a rest on his cheek, aiding Yami as he took on the challenge of seducing Yuugi's lips into submission. Fighting the incredibly strong and heated urge and plea of his body to allow Yami complete domination, Yuugi leisurely dragged his hands beneath the rim of Yami's pants until his fingers curled around his hips. Flattening his palms, Yuugi then pushed his hands completely beneath the fabric, heating the smooth skin of Yami's outer thighs as he pushed his hands as far down as his arms could reach.

Yami was greatly distracted by the sudden skin on skin contact that radiated down his legs and encompassed the whole of his lower body. He bowed his head briefly, the tip of his nose bumping into Yuugi's chin as he forced a swallow past his constricted throat. Yuugi mewled softly, either in triumph or in protest Yami's mind couldn't discern through the heat that entangled his thoughts. The sound brought Yami out of his self indulgent moment as he refocused his attentions on claiming that cotton soft mouth that mocked him with a smugness he found incredibly alluring.

Yuugi lost ground in the game to keep Yami's tongue from passing through his lips and into his mouth when Yami bent his leg, which in turn caused Yuugi's hand to slip even further down the sleek limb, barely avoiding areas that no hand should touch. His breath caught in his throat as the leg came to a rest over his waist, both pinning him to the floor and stating its ownership in the simple movement. At some moment between Yami bending his leg and Yuugi finding his will to avoid the sensual promise of Yami's tongue, both men had lost their shirts, the garments having been tossed carelessly on the coffee table.

A leg snaked its way between Yuugi's knees, and Yuugi found himself sighing blissfully as he parted his legs to make room for Yami's new exploration. The leg moved with all the fluid grace of a wave, ebb and flow working as one to inch the limb ever further towards its intended goal. Yuugi's tossing of his head slowed, his tongue's protests becoming more inviting and pleading than coy. His closed his lips slowly, pausing the kiss as he opened his eyes and trailed his fingers from Yami's thighs, up his back, over his shoulders, and into his hair in one graceful movement. Yami consented to the pause, opening his eyes, exposing his smoldering gaze as gold and crimson battled for supremacy. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he waited for Yuugi to initiate the next move, enjoying the feel of Yuugi palming his hands along his scalp and down his neck.

"Having fun?" Yuugi whispered, his voice thick and labored with his growing arousal.

Yami nodded once, his smirk slightly deepening.

Yuugi's violet eyes deepened in color significantly. A smirk graced his own lips.

"Want to have some more?"

A deliciously evil and devilish and full lipped smile illuminated Yami's eyes and face.

Yuugi lowered his eyes, letting them trail hungrily over the chiseled chest that hovered mere millimeters above his own. He was close enough to feel Yami's heartbeat, the ripples of coiled muscles and barely restrained power. He was also having a difficult time keeping his own grin from his face, the affect of Yami's full and rare and decadent smile shooting straight to his heart and groin. Yuugi let his eyes feast for a few moments longer before closing them and giving his most theatrical sigh.

"This doesn't mean I have to break out the cards, does it?"

"Not at all," Yami replied, surprising Yuugi by answering the light jibe verbally. His smile remained on his face, though slightly less beaming than before, and he lowered his forehead until it was touching Yuugi's own. "You are perfectly capable of holding my undivided attention."

"... But I thought the whole point of this was to have fun?" The fact that Yuugi was smirking and his eyes were narrowed with mischievous intent diminished the implied innocence of his tone.

//Oh Aibou,// Yami sighed as he chastely kissed Yuugi's lips before moving down to sample the supple skin of his collar bone. //There are just _so_ many ways to have fun.//

"And I'm sure you are... are at no loss for... for..." Yuugi's thoughts trailed into oblivion as his focus was brought abruptly to the intricate patterns that Yami's lips and teeth and tongue were creating along his collar bone. His skin shivered as Yami blew gently along the wet trail he had left on the sensitive flesh before stimulating it further by lapping at it with his tongue.

Fingers glided along a chest that panted for its breath, passing easily over the small beads of perspiration that were forming in an effort to cool the rapidly heating body. Yami was finding great pleasure in exploiting this delicious weakness of his hikari, memorizing every moan and mewl and whisper soft breath that passed through parted lips that begged to be kissed. He allowed his lips to pull his head downwards, spreading his kisses equally over Yuugi's chest before finding a new area to focus his attention on.

Yuugi gulped in a breath of air, releasing it slowly as Yami began to play with his new toy, previously known as Yuugi's nipple. His body tensed as the new wave of pleasurable sensations rushed through him, causing his back to arch and push him as close as possible to the heat that Yami radiated. Yami pulled away at the action, coming back to tease the sensitive nub only when Yuugi was laying flat on the floor again. His hands continued to skim their way along Yuugi's side, eliciting rather erotic croons from the body beneath him.

Yami swirled his tongue a final time around Yuugi's nipple before gently placing it between his teeth and letting it slip from his mouth as he continued his migration southward. He was spurred by the hand that continued to tickle his scalp, the movements slow and languid and very much in contrast with the somewhat laboring breaths and shivers that encompassed Yuugi's being. A leg wrapped itself around his and pulled gently, Yuugi's unconscious effort to guide Yami closer to himself.

It wasn't long before Yami had kissed and nipped his way along the entire length of Yuugi's body, teasing and enticing and stimulating him to the point that Yuugi couldn't see straight. He couldn't see or think of anything at all other than Yami's touch. That, and the hand that he had busied himself with pleasuring. It wasn't fair that Yami had taken advantage of his weak spot, so Yuugi had sought out to determine Yami's. And it turned out that Yami's hands were very, very sensitive. Especially to Yuugi's tongue.

Yami curled his fingers in Yuugi's mouth, delighting as the soft and malleable tongue demonstrated its imagination with its laps and swirls and thorough exploration of his hand. Sweat appeared on his brow, the small beads of water glistening as the pale moonlight filtered in through the blinds that shaded the window. A low and throaty growl escaped his throat, and shortly following both he and Yuugi found themselves without their pants.

Yuugi chuckled. "Looks like I've found a way to make you speed things along."

Yami crawled his way up Yuugi's body, laying flush on top of him before propping his head in his hands, his elbows on either side of Yuugi's shoulders. He arched one eyebrow, the only other movement that accompanied his breathing, and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Yuugi shifted a bit.

Yami remained still.

Yuugi frowned. 

Yami smirked.

"I know better than to put ideas in your head," Yuugi grumbled to himself under his breath. Yami rewarded him for this astounding insight with a heated kiss, his tongue demanding and receiving permission to explore Yuugi's mouth before capturing Yuugi's lip between his own as he pulled away. Yuugi moaned appreciatively at the action, his arms linking over themselves behind Yami's neck, his knee bending to rub along Yami's thigh.

Yuugi giggled lightly as he felt the thoughts flowing in Yami's mind. His other was trying to determine which of many possible.... now that one was interesting.... paths the two of them could next travel down. He leaned upwards and kissed Yami lightly, immediately halting the cacophony of images that was filtering through their link.

/Have fun, remember?/ Yuugi asked as he tilted his head, prolonging the kiss. /Fun doesn't involve thinking. Just act./

For a long moment, the only sounds that could be heard in the room were the ragged breaths of two aroused young men, and the parting of lips as Yuugi ended their kiss. Angular crimson eyes watched rounded iris colored orbs, building the anticipation before slowly Yami guided Yuugi into a sitting position. Yuugi kept his arms wrapped loosely around Yami's neck, excitement highlighting the smile on his features.

This marked the end of their long and sensual foreplay. Yami struck with the coiled grace of a serpent, and Yuugi encouraged the carnal nature of his Yami at every advantage. Touches became demanding and pleading, kisses heated and desperate, pushing and pulling each other for every last ounce of what the other could give.

Furniture was knocked aside unknowingly as the height of their passion continued to build, as arms and legs reached and searched and pulled, as muscles strained with pent up desire and energy. Emotions were finally released, allowed the freedom to guide every action without thought or scrutiny. Cries of passion and desire and ecstasy were muffled by coaxing hands as the two who were one became one again on an entirely new and intimate level.

Yami and Yuugi both knelt on the floor, their bodies trembling with the enormous energy they had consumed. Lips were parted as lungs tried desperately to reclaim the breath they had lost and sweat dripped slowly from the tips of noses. Yuugi lowered himself to the floor, laying on his stomach with one arm bent beneath his head for support. Yami laid on top of Yuugi, much of his grace lost due to the fact of his exhaustion, his limbs splaying out on either side of Yuugi and his cheek resting against his shoulder.

They laid there entwined until they caught their breaths, the heaving of their chests slowly subsiding as sleep began its song of seduction. Yuugi blinked wearily as he felt Yami shift into a more comfortable position on top of him, deciding to keep his eyes closed so long as Yami had stopped moving.

The idle thought that there was a mess to clean up trudged its way through Yuugi's mind, and he groaned as the unappealing task invaded the warmth of the high he had wrapped himself in. He felt Yami take in a deep breath and whisper something against his shoulder before cuddling into him further. Yuugi didn't know what Yami said, but somehow he knew that he no longer had to worry about his grandfather discovering their late night activities.

Yuugi finally was able to force his eyes open, his vision level with Yami's right hand. He blinked in confusion as the light from the moon reflected brilliantly off of one of Yami's fingers, the source of which he could not see. He reached out and took hold of Yami's hand, drawing forth a light cooing noise from the large weight on top of him as Yami responded to the touch. Yuugi thread his fingers lightly around Yami's before they came in contact with something extremely cold.

/Yami?/

No response.

/Yami?/

Silence.

Yuugi chuckled to himself. /Love?/

//Yes, aibou?// Yami immediately responded.

Yuugi grinned before focusing his attention back on Yami's hand. He separated the slender fingers so he could isolate and better see the one that now sported a new silver ring. "What's this?"

Yami opened one eye just long enough to see the ring and close his eyes again. His tone was filled with amusement. //In my time, we called that a ring.// 

"Har har," Yuugi said as he rolled his eyes. "What I meant was, where did it...." he paused as for the first time he noticed the striking similarity to the ring that Yami had crafted for him. He groaned lightly at his own lack of observation. "Remind me not to sleep with you if I have to think the next day," he mumbled into the carpet.

Yami clasped his hand with Yuugi's, bringing his free hand up so he could smooth Yuugi's slick hair to the side, giving him better access to his tempting neck. He kissed the delicate skin softly, letting his lips linger before pulling away.

//Do you realize you created it?//

Yuugi turned his head so he could partially see Yami over his shoulder. "I did?"

Yami nodded once, kissing Yuugi's shoulder this time. "Yes," he whispered. "You did."

"But how?" Yuugi asked. "You made my ring with the Shadows. I would have to-" Yuugi's eyes widened, then narrowed as realization dawned on him.

Yami nodded solemnly, his eyes shimmering in the little light of the room. 

"I see," Yuugi said softly as he laid his head back on the floor and continued to play his fingers along Yami's hand. He really had invited the Shadows into himself. He hadn't even considered the possibility, his only concern having been Yami's safety. He sighed wistfully, his eyes closing in quiet acceptance.

//You do not have regrets?// Yami asked.

"No," Yuugi answered immediately. "No. I was just.... surprised, that's all. Wasn't expecting it."

//Hn.// Yami nuzzled even closer to Yuugi, folding their clasped hands beneath Yuugi's chest and holding him tight. A wave of relief flowed through him, relaxing his body even further. Though he had never wanted the Shadows to touch Yuugi, now he was glad they had. He held a distinction now, a uniqueness that he himself held and one that protected him from the Shadows' rage. He no longer had to fear that should he lose control, that loss would result in Yuugi's death.

"Yami?"

No response.

"Extremely sexy and oftentimes irritating love?"

//Yes, aibou?//

"You still make a nice blanket."

//And I have still had more comfortable beds.//

~ Drw ~

******************

Translation:

Drw - end 


End file.
